The Road Less Traveled
by carmen-085
Summary: While still reeling from a terrible accident, Bosco and his streetwise new partner are choosen to go undercover and investigate a string of arsons that has the 55 questioning members of its own department.
1. Default Chapter

"**The Road Less Traveled" **

Author: carmen085

E-mail: 

Disclaimer: All Third Watch characters are property of the NBC corporation and its affiliates while all original characters appearing in this story belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of season two.

Summary: A deadly arsonist threatens friendships and loyalties at the 55 while an unlikely stranger helps Bosco overcome the worst day of his life.

**Chapter One **

_The lonely light of morning_

_The wound that would not heal_

_It's the bitter taste of losing everything_

_That I have held so dear _

-March 2001-

"Hey, you want to go get a drink or something ?" Peering around the corner of her locker, Faith slowly shook her head.

"No," pausing for a second she looked as if she were about to change her mind. "No, I should really get home, Bosco." Quickly averting her gaze, she pretended to be preoccupied with the buttons on her shirt. Allowing a slow and very deliberate breath to escape his lips, Bosco turned away in resignation. For the past few weeks she had not only been cold but also disconnected, and he couldn't help but to think that something may be terribly wrong.

"Is everything alright with us ? I mean... I can't remember doing anything to piss you off lately." Pulling a faded gray sweatshirt over his head, Bosco threw a questioning glance in his partner's direction.

Taking a deep breath, Faith looked directly into her partner's eyes. "Believe, Bosco, this has nothing to do with you. It's my problem...and," pausing for a second Faith felt a sudden surge of guilt. She'd unwittingly drawn another person into her private world of grief and heart ache. Staring into his trusting eyes she realized that at the moment he would have said anything to make the situation better. The reality of this brought tears to her eyes as she blindly groped for the right words. "And...I'm sorry if I've been distant lately." It was a pathetic excuse as she was sure it did nothing to repair the void between them. Feeling a lump rise up in her throat, Faith relegated herself to the simple task of getting dressed.

While her explanation appeared sufficient on the surface, Bosco couldn't help but to feel dissatisfied. Faith was hiding something big; and, although this bothered him, he was reluctant to push her any further. Shutting his locker, Bosco stopped in front of her. "You know if you need anything, just call," swallowing hard he added, "call anytime." Despite his awkward delivery, Faith couldn't help but to feel touched. Sensitivity was never one of her partner's strengths, though over the years he rarely hesitated to make an exception for her.

"Absolutely," the word came out as a choked whisper though it didn't make a bit of difference as Bosco had already left. Staring at the spot where he had stood, she replayed the conversation over in her mind. While it was extremely tempting to confide in him, she couldn't bring herself to say the words. She's couldn't bear to invite someone else into the living hell that she'd knowingly created.

Pulling her jacket on, Faith glanced around the locker room only to find that she was all alone. The idle chatter that filled the room only minutes ago had quickly dissipated as the rhythmic pounding of rain against the precinct roof filled her stream of consciousness. Turning to leave she nearly smacked head on into a very wet Ty Davis Jr.

"Whoa...hey Faith." Snapping her neck abruptly, Faith smiled apologetically at the younger officer. 

"Davis...uh, sorry I didn't even see you there." Quickly averting her gaze, Faith hoped that she would be able to leave before being forced to make small talk.

"Not too often someone misses you, Davis," Sully jokingly threw over his shoulder before disappearing into one of the toilet stalls.

"You should talk, man." Peeling off his saturated jacket, Ty seemed to forget about Faith for a moment as he began to walk away. Seeing her escape, Faith moved quickly toward the door stopping only to bid her colleagues farewell. 

"Goodnight, guys."

Outside the precinct Faith discovered that the steady drizzle which had been falling all day had now turned into a torrential downpour. Pulling an old newspaper from her bag, she concluded that her only option was to make a run for it. Half heartedly shielding her face she took off toward the subway station. Somewhere behind her an RMP peeled out of the parking lot leaving a trail of dancing blue and red light in its wake. The siren echoed in her mind as she was reminded that tonight somewhere in the city another person was suffering just as badly as her. While the thought was comforting in a miserable sort of way, Faith still couldn't emerge from the shadows of her own despair.

Hastily tossing the dripping newspaper into the garbage can, she started down the dingy subway stairs. Blinking Faith's eyes slowly became accustomed to the bright light of the underground chamber. There were a few other people around yet she couldn't help thinking that the terminal was surprisingly bare for this time of night. Leaning against the back wall, the cop in her took over as she scanned the meager crowd for any signs of trouble. Satisfied that everything seemed to be in order, she closed her eyes allowing a sigh of relief to escape her pursed lips. These people were no threat. They didn't want anything from her. They didn't care about her problems. Although it sounded strange, she felt safe with them. They wouldn't make her talk about anything she didn't want to.

Overhead the lights flickered slightly as a low rumble echoed from the depths of the tunnel. Within seconds the six train was barreling through the terminal. Six. That had been Faith's number as of late. Six months ago she had an abortion and six weeks ago she finally decided to tell Fred. It had been six days since he asked for a divorce and six minutes since she last wanted to cry. Pinching her eyes closed, Faith began to feel the walls shake again. Another train. Slowly opening her eyes she realized that it was her train pulling into the station. Pushing off the white tiled wall, Faith glided into the filthy subway car; choosing a seat near the rear. Small droplets of water tickled the back of her neck as the sudden movement jarred her thoroughly soaked frame.

Fred. She knew the abortion would destroy him but she did it anyway. Then, to complicate matters even further she lied about it...for months. All those days and weeks she lay in bed next her husband harboring a terrible secret, and yet he didn't have a clue. For a while Faith thought that she could keep her secret forever but then, as usual, her emotions got the best of her. Furious that Fred refused to attend his AA meetings, she knew that the only card in her hand worth anything was the abortion. If she played it against him, she knew that it would cause a lot of pain and in more ways than one that was her exact goal. Alcohol had inflicted enough pain upon her to last a lifetime, and, while it was too late to do anything about her father, she still had a chance to do something about Fred. He was a convenient target ,and she desperately needed to regain control over that part of her life. It was as simple as that.

In many ways, the night that she told Fred about the abortion was the beginning of the end for them. She knew that they would fight about it and say things that they didn't mean, but never did she think it would go as far as divorce. Faith was only trying to level the playing field and wage something of her own against Fred's alcohol addiction. Squeezing her hand into an angry fist , she felt another wave of frustration pass over her. If Fred hadn't fallen off the wagon, she would have been able to reason with him about the pregnancy in the first place. Breathing heavy, she realized that her heart was about to pound out of her chest. Every emotion coursed through her body as she swung from an unbelievable pinnacle of anger back to the dark depths of despair.

Without much warning the train screeched to a halt and the doors opened. Gathering up her belongings, Faith proceeded off the train and up the stairs. The rain hadn't let up much since she disappearing into the earth twenty blocks uptown but she didn't really care. Lost in her own thought, Faith numbly walked through downpour. Delicate little rain drops eventually began to collect on her eyelashes. Swiping at them with a heavy hand, Faith realized that her efforts were in vain as she was soaking wet. Shivering noticeably, she ducked inside her building. The only thing on her weary mind at this point was a hot shower. Starting up the stairs, she encountered one of her neighbors, Mrs. Conners. The older woman looked at Faith pitifully before sliding past her down the stairs. Shrugging, Faith concluded that she must have looked worse than she felt. The door to her apartment was locked. In the past should have been alarmed by this as Fred almost always waited up for her, but now...now things were different. Turning the knob, she found the darkened apartment to be unusually quiet. 

"Fred ?" Blindly searching the wall for a light switch, Faith nearly tripped over a pair of shoes. "Son of a bitch."

Harsh white light suddenly filled the apartment as she squinted into the empty living room. Where was everyone ? Kicking off her shoes, Faith started toward the bedroom. "Fred, are you asleep already ?" Flicking on another light, she was startled to find her husband no where in site. Oh my God ! Where are the kids ? Fred couldn't possible be irresponsible enough to leave the kids home alone. With a loud bang Faith burst into her children's room. Swallowing hard, she fought back a wave of nausea. The beds were empty, the closets bare, only a few of Charlie's toys were scattered about the floor. Sliding down the door frame, Faith began to sob uncontrollably. They were gone.

Crossing his legs at the ankle, Bosco casually leaned against the RMP. Breathing deeply he reveled in the hot midday sun and above average temperatures. The day's weather was a welcome change from the city's normally cold, damp climate. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, Bosco once again found his red eyed partner staring at nothing in particular. Since the start of the shift she hadn't said but two words to him. Sighing, he absent mindedly picked at the hem of his jacket. Something happened. He didn't know what or how bad it was, but something definitely happened.

Bosco had been trying to talk to Faith for weeks with absolutely no progress. Half of him was almost glad for this as there were few things worse than a crying woman. On the other hand, he also couldn't help but to feel somewhat hurt. Faith had been his partner for five years and in that time he felt that they had built an unbelievable bond. Although he could have been reading into the situation, Bosco took her silence to mean that she didn't trust him and beyond anything else that's what hurt most of all. 

"Any available unit.." The abrupt screech of his radio caused Bosco to jump. "Respond to a potential stabbing at 1820 E. 110th Street outside the projects. Witnesses say the suspect is still on scene." Perking up instantly, Bosco impatiently keyed the radio without another thought.

"55 David, 1820 E. 110th Street." Smiling to himself, Bosco flung the car door open jumping into the driver's seat. There was nothing like a good chase to turn his mood right around. Lights and sirens blaring he slammed the accelerator down. A bit perturbed by her partner's voluntary attitude, Faith scowled at him. Why was it that every time she was having a crappy day he felt the need to play super cop ? Biting back a wave of guilt, she begrudgingly reminded herself that the silence between them was her choice alone. If she wanted to talk, Bosco would have listened or at least tried to. Clutching her seatbelt, Faith nearly felt the car careen out of control. 

Underneath his fingers Bosco felt the steering wheel shake as he rounded the curb. The projects...just perfect. If there was one way to make a crappy day crappier a trip to the projects would usually do it. Gritting his teeth, Bosco stole a quick glance at his partner. She looked positively miserable. Swallowing a wave of guilt he wondered if maybe he should have conferred with her before taking the call. Sighing, he quickly reasoned that this was their job. If Faith didn't want to be here she could have stayed home.

Turing onto 110th street, Faith spotted an altercation on the sidewalk in front of Claremont Village. From where she was sitting it looked as if the perpetrator, a stocky black male, was stepping the victim's neck. As they got closer, Faith was able to see the look of terror on the victim's face and it made her sick. The young woman, who looked barely eighteen, was a mess of blood and dirt. Her outstretched arms slapped at her attacker's leg in vain as she struggled to take a breath. Shifting her gaze, a deep pang of fear resonated in her body. The attacker. His face was a mix of pleasure and purpose. Narrowing his eyes, Faith watched as he shifted more weight onto the girl's neck. Apparently stabbing her in the chest wasn't enough for him. 

"POLICE !!! YOU GET AWAY FROM HER RIGHT NOW !!!" The sound of her partner's voice quickly sent her tumbling back to reality. Unbeknownst to her, Bosco was already out of the car. Yanking the door handle, Faith joined him in drawing her gun. Seeing that he was about to be cornered, the perp took off down the street. Without a second thought Bosco tore after him yelling over his shoulder, "Yokes !! Get the car !!"

Standing there in numb recognition, Faith stared at the victim. Hair matted to the sides of her face she stared back with a twisted expression of horror. Although the sight caused her stomach to turn, she couldn't turn away. Oddly enough, the grotesque positioning of the girl's body was almost addictive to look at. She'd never seen anything like it before.

Initially everything seemed to exist in slow motion, but now the reality of the situation was beginning to catch up to her. The accusatory stares were everywhere as she almost predicted the caustic thoughts that existed behind them. In the projects most people had a permanent negative outlook on the police. Even if you tried your absolute hardest, there was always something more, they'll point out, that you should have done. No one wants to get involved, no one wants to help, but everyone wants swift, exact justice to be brought upon the criminal. Eyes falling back to the hapless girl in front of her, Faith felt her heart begin to pound inside her chest. What was everyone looking at ? They should have helped her when she still had a chance ! Slowly but surely her anger began to rise as she turned back toward the RMP. Down the street Faith caught a glimpse of Bosco rounding the corner. 

Snapping her neck in the opposite direction, Faith just now realized that 55-Charlie had arrived on scene. "I 'm going after Bosco !!" Not waiting for a reply she jumped into the RMP and gunned the engines. White hot anger coursed through her veins as the victim's face threatened to burn a hole in her memory. Under any other circumstance, Faith would have realized how dangerous her present state of mind was, but today was different. Blinded by the emotions of her home life and guided by the victim's terror, Faith's stream of consciousness was dominated by a single principle: revenge. Fred had hurt her and gotten away with it. She couldn't do anything about him anymore, even though she wanted to. This perp, however, was still within her reach and if she got the opportunity she was going to give him a beating he would remember. If not for the girl whose future he stole away then for herself.

Approaching the intersection, Faith saw the light turn from yellow to red. For a split second she contemplated slowing down before depressing the accelerator to the floor. The rhythmic wail of the sirens edged her on as she knew that any emergency vehicle going Code Three always had the right away. Turning sharply, she saw a white paneled truck barreling through the intersection. Gripping the steering wheel, sadness suddenly filled her body. She'd made the wrong decision, and now it was too late to take it back. This was how she was going to die and more than anything else she suddenly wished she had just one more day. There were so many things she needed to do. She needed to tell Emily and Charlie how proud she was of them and how much she loved them. She needed to tell Fred how sorry she was for betraying him. She needed to tell Bosco how much he meant to her and how badly she would miss him. All she needed was one more day, that was it. One more day to make sure that the people she loved would be alright without her. In an instant the world went black as a cataclysmic force rocked her entire body

TBC.....

**Lyrics are from Sarah Mclachlan's "Fallen**"


	2. Last Kiss

"**The Road Less Traveled"**

Author: carmen085

Email: All Third Watch characters are property of the NBC corporation and its affiliates while all original characters appearing in this story belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of **SEASON TWO**.

Summary: A deadly arsonist threatens friendships and loyalties at the 55 while an unlikely stranger helps Bosco overcome the worst day of his life

**Chapter Two**

_I'll never forget the sound that night_

_The screamin' tires_

_The bustin' glass_

_The painful scream that I heard last_

Although she had investigated countless accidents throughout her career nothing could have prepared Faith for the actual experience. The sheer force of the collision was enough to make her think that the world had just been ripped in two. Time seemed to slow down as what was taking only a fraction of a second in real time seemed to last an eternity. Everything in her field of vision shook erratically as the air in her lungs compressed through her nose and mouth in a single explosive instant. Searing pain radiated through her left side as she felt her every one of her bones snapping against the force of the collision. Shattering glass pelted her face and neck as the white metal of the RMP twisted grotesquely around her beaten frame. Strangely enough not a single thought crossed her mind. It was as if her brain were completely consumed with the situation at hand as the regret that had filled her only a moment ago was now replaced with a sense of nothingness. Then, all at once, a rocket seemed to launch from the backseat as Faith involuntarily let out a blood curdling scream before her world disappeared into complete darkness.

Down the street Davis was just about to turn away when out of the corner of his eye he saw a white paneled truck come barreling through the intersection. Hoping that he would see the red glow of Faith's brake lights, he delayed in following his partner for just a second. Not even slowing down one bit, the truck smashed into the left side of the RMP and temporarily set the car air borne. Watching in a state of shock, the scene was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. Davis felt his heart squeeze tightly in his chest though by the time it relaxed everything was over. In the span of a single heartbeat their lives had changed forever.

Turning the corner behind Claremont Village, Bosco's feet pounded the asphalt with increasing purpose. At least fifty pounds heavier than he and in considerably poorer physical condition, the perp was beginning to tire.

"I'm right behind you, jag off ! Stop running !" Just as Bosco was about to tackle the fleeing suspect, an explosion resounded through the concrete maze of buildings. Out of pure instinct both men hit the ground covering their heads in anticipation for what they thought would be an ensuing hail of gunfire.

Down.

Faith.

In the instant that Bosco dropped to the pavement, those were the only two thoughts that crossed his mind. Cheek pressed against the rough, wet pavement he momentarily pinched his eyes shut. The muscles in his chest fought to relax as he realized that he was holding his breath. Careful not to move his head, Bosco tilted his eyes upward searching for any sign of a gunman. Nothing.

Although it seemed to last longer, this entire sequence of events was over by the time the last audible shred of the explosion had dissipated. Pushing himself off the ground first, the perp once again took off down the alley.

"Hey, where the hell do you think you're going ?" The uneven, dirty pavement stung his palms as he pushed his body up.

Getting up to speed very quickly, Bosco was once again in a position to bring the fleeing suspect down. Jacket swishing rhythmically side to side he fell into a purposeful trance. He was going to get this son of a bitch no matter what. This was the best part of the job. The chase. The hunt. The capture. The victory. It's what kept him coming back day after day. Preparing himself to leap once more, Bosco was cut short as Davis's panicked voice pierced the airwaves.

"10-13...10-13 ! We have an officer down !" Breath catching in his throat, Bosco's knees suddenly went weak. Something bad had happened. Davis never panicked…something must have happened to Sullivan. Swallowing hard, Bosco recommitted himself to the task at hand. He couldn't let this guy get away.

Leaping over a rusted cyclone fence, the perp made a mad dash back toward the interior of the projects. Vaulting over behind him, Bosco landed directly in a pile of rotting garbage. Now he was really getting pissed. "Dammit ! When I get my hands on you…" Not even bothering to glance over his shoulder, the larger man bolted into the darken Claremont breezeway. Stopping short, Bosco couldn't help but to feel a sense of dread.

This was bad.

A 10-13 had just gone out, he had no backup, and was about to chase a dangerous man into a darkened hallway. Where was Faith? No matter what she was always there. She always backed him up. Taking a deep breath Bosco peered over his shoulder one last time. He had to do this alone. There was no time to call for backup. Silently drawing his gun, Bosco summoned all his courage before stepping into the darkened breezeway.

Never before had Davis seen a crash so violent yet so unexpected. Without a second thought, he turned back toward the RMP. He had to do something. He had to help. From the moment he saw his partner get back into their car, Sully knew that his place in all this would be with the original victim. True they did have an officer down, but back up would be here any second, and he couldn't leave this girl to die all alone. Reluctantly kneeling down, he gave a silent nod to his partner before 55-Charlie peeled out.

55-David couldn't have been more than 50 feet away and Davis couldn't have been going less than 70 mph yet the entire process of getting there seemed to take forever. Turning to his left shoulder, Davis barely had the presence of mind to call the 10-13. He couldn't hear his own voice, or the sirens atop his car, or even the roar of the engines. Ty was completely lost in the moment as Faith's blood curdling scream echoed in his mind.

Taking a deep breath Bosco stepped into the darkened breezeway. Almost immediately his chest began to tighten as the overwhelming darkness suddenly surrounded him. Gripping his gun more tightly, Bosco slowly began to lose all feeling in his fingers. He shouldn't be here. He knew it before he came in but now the danger was very real as he felt it deep inside. Sliding down the wall, Bosco came to rest in the squatting position. Despite the meager lighting, he couldn't find another sign of life anywhere. The bastard must have gotten away. Shit. Standing back up, Bosco was just about to turn away when he heard the sound of crunching glass.

Shining his Kell light in the direction of the disturbance, he gathered himself for one last try at this scumbag.

"If you have a weapon now would be a really good time to drop it," silence, "Drop your weapon and come out with your hands up !"

Bosco jumped slightly at the sound of his own voice. He sounded far braver than he actually felt. Inching farther into the darkness, his muscles became weak with fear that was almost uncontrollable. He needed to back out of here, seal the building, and wait for back up. But then the illogical side of Maurice Boscorelli took over and he once again believed that everything was OK.

Swallowing hard, Bosco gripped his gun more tightly as the battle between his human and superhuman halves threatened to tear him apart. A scuffling in the opposite direction, however, caused him to whirl around suddenly. A rat. That was it. He nearly went into cardiac arrest over a rat. Holstering his gun, Bosco concluded that while he was here in the dark chasing rodents the perp must have gotten away.

"Just great." Turning to leaving, a sense of dread settled in as he recalled the 10-13. This, however, was the last thought to cross Bosco's mind as his world abruptly disappeared into complete darkness.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

She could feel it running down her arm, warm and sticky.

She could taste it in her mouth, salty and bitter.

She could hear it rushing through her veins and out of her body.

Slowly opening her eyes, all that Faith could see was blood. Everything around her was red and she wanted to scream. But she couldn't, there wasn't enough air in her lungs. Wheezing, she struggled to stay conscious as the faint sound of a siren echoed in the distance. Eyes drifting shut, Faith entered a dream like state of perfection where all the horror of her present situation simply melted away.

_In a flash, her life back tracked nearly thirteen years to the moment that Emily was born. It was, without a doubt, the greatest moment of her life. Above all else, Faith was most of proud of being a mother. It was the one thing that she worked hardest at yet ever quite succeeded in. Faith worked so many hours that it was hard for her to feel like a good mother. In all fairness, it was Fred who raised the kids…not her. She was never there._

_The day Emily was born, Faith received a second chance…a new beginning of sorts. Whatever mistakes she had made in the past were now forgotten as her new role demanded only the best of efforts. Looking back on it, she couldn't help but to recall an overwhelming sense of renewed hope. Emily's birth offered Faith the chance to be a better person not only for herself but also for her family. _

Without warning, pain suddenly began to replace the sweet sensation of hope as Faith was unwillingly pulled back to reality. It radiated from every inch of her body as she struggled to open her eyes. Slowly, Faith became aware of the many voices surrounding her. Becoming slightly panicked, she began to wheeze more violently. Who were these people? What if they tried to hurt her? Struggling to move her arm, Faith concluded that there was no way she could reach her gun. Forcing her eyes open, she could barely discern the outline of Ty Davis. Relaxing, Faith's senses slowly came back to her. She was in a car accident and the voices she heard were the people trying to help her…not hurt her. With this in mind, her breathing began to slow as her body wretched and withered in pain. Eyes drifting shut, Davis' blurry face faded into darkness as Faith yet again slipped under the murky waters of her conscious reality.

_All that she could see was white. It was everywhere and all around her, though, it didn't have the physical properties of light. Rather it was more like material as she allowed it to run over her face and through her fingers. It was so cool and soft that she couldn't help but to feel completely relaxed. Again, the terror of her reality had given way to a dream like sense of perfection._

_Looking up, Faith realized that this was her wedding day. Staring at her reflection, she couldn't help but to smile. She was so in love with Fred that day that nothing else in the world mattered. She didn't care that her parents refused to attend the ceremony. She didn't care that her brother refused to speak with her. She didn't care that Fred really had nothing to offer. They were in love and in his eyes she saw the future. _

_On that day Faith also made a promise…a promise that she would eventually break. No matter how much she tried to justify it, Faith betrayed her husband's trust when she went behind his back and had the abortion. _

"_In good times and in bad" _

_But that's not how it worked. When things got bad, Faith turned her back and forgot all about the man she promised to love for the rest of her life._

"Faith? Faith? Can you hear me ? It's Davis…" As the pain once again returned, Fred's trusting face faded away. "Faith! Hang on…we're going to get you out."

Davis. She could barely make out his voice above all the background noise. Her eyes were becoming harder and harder to open, though, she became keenly aware of the sensations radiating from her hand. Someone was there with her. She could feel their hand in hers. Gathering all her strength she squeezed the other person's hand as hard as she could.

"Faith ? Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand again if you can hear me." Davis carefully adjusted his body on the crumpled hood of the RMP. "Squeeze it again, Faith."

Gritting her teeth, Faith gave the simple task all she had.

For the first time that day a smile broke out over Davis' panicked face. She was ok. Everything was going to be ok. Throwing a glance over this shoulder, Davis was even more relieved to see Jimmy Doherty and his crew. "Doherty, hurry up! We need to get her out of here now !" Turning back to the busted windshield of 55-David, Davis winced as he felt sharp glass cutting into is arm. Ignoring the pain, he couldn't bring himself to leave Faith now. "Just hang in there, Faith. We're gonna get you out of there. Just hang on."

The fire department had arrived. Faith heard the truck pull up and then Jimmy yelling various commands to his crew. A lot of people were working to help her, and more than anything she wished that she could open her eyes and tell them that it would all be worth it in the end. All they had to do was get her out and then she would take care of the rest. For now, though, all that she could do was wait. Slipping loose of her private struggle, Faith drifted into the comforting waters of unconsciousness.

_August 25, 1992. Her first day at the Academy. It was so hot that day and there were so many people gathered in the tiny gymnasium. Men and women full of promise, all wanting to someday be the real Po-lice. While all of the recruits there were excited, there was no one in that gymnasium more excited to be the police than Maurice Boscorelli. _

_  
Faith met Bosco a week later, and although they got off to a rocky start, the two soon became good friends. From the start, they knew that they made a great team. _

_Faith was an excellent student who could study for hours without getting tired. Bosco, on the other hand, had a hard time concentrating on any sort of book for more than ten minutes. Before exams, the two would often study together at the public library until one or two in the morning. While it sounded intense, Faith actually relished those times and often thought about them when things got bad._

_Bosco was an exceptional marksmen who could hit a dime fifty yards away. Faith, on the other hand, barely knew how to hold a gun let alone actually shoot it. On weekends, Bosco would pick her up at six am and the two of them would spend the better part of the day at the range. Until Faith had a feel for the power of the Glock, Bosco would often shoot with her as their fingers interlocked on the butt of the gun. While it was not his intent, a part of him fell hopelessly in love with her that day. Although he would never admit it, Bosco often thought about those weekends. It was a memory that kept him company during even the loneliest of nights. _

_Nine years after those long nights and early mornings, Bosco and Faith were still together working through their problems as a team. Despite their level of trust, however, Faith often felt like she didn't really know her partner. Bosco was very good at hiding his true feelings behind a façade of nonchalant insensitivity. Because of his unwillingness to open up, Faith often wrote her partner off as just another one of her kids. It was an unfair judgment that would later cause her a lot of guilt. _

_  
Falling deeper into the dream, Faith's brain fast tracked to this past summer. It had been a warm night and she was going to walk home instead of taking the subway. Bosco offered to join her even though his car was parked across from the precinct. When she questioned him about it, he just shrugged and said that there was no place he had to be. Despite the heat they walked close to each other while maintaining light conversation. It was a comfortable companionship that could only be shared between partners. When they arrived at Faith's apartment, she hesitated going in and suggested that they sit in the park across the street. Fred was probably passed out in the middle of all his empties anyway. For hours they sat on one of the benches and just talked…they talked about everything. Nothing was off limits this night as Bosco divulged some of his darkest childhood secrets. Despite the weight of what was being said, it was the unspoken words between them that Faith truly remembered. For a moment somewhere in the middle of everything, they shared a look of complete understanding. It was a sense of deep spiritual knowing where it felt as if she had lived her partner's life and completely understood every emotion he had ever experienced. In that second, they were almost inside one another. For the first time in nine years, she could truly see her partner for the broken yet amazing man that he was. And the guilt was overwhelming. He was so much more than she had ever given him credit for. _

As her memories faded, Faith came to the realization that everything around her was shaking. It felt like she was in a washing machine as her body clanged against the confines of the disintegrated RMP. What was happening? Snapping her eyes open she realized that they were taking the car apart to get her out. Reaching, she felt Ty's hand still firmly planted in her own. Wait a minute….why was Davis with her? Where was Bosco? Why wasn't he the one holding her hand? For the first time since everything had started she wondered where her partner was. Becoming fully awake for the first time, she squirmed from side to side. She needed out of here and she needed to find her partner.

Turning his attention back to Faith, Davis' face registered surprise as he found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him.

"Bosco !" Oh God. The pain was mind-blowing. Gritting her teeth she ignored it. There were bigger things to worry about now. "Where is he?"

Thirty thousand emotions ran through Davis at the same time. On one side he was elated to see Faith awake and talking, while on the other an undeniable sense of anger began to build. Where the hell was Bosco? His partner was down and he was nowhere to be found. Biting back his distaste, Davis smiled reassuringly at Faith. "He'll be here, Faith. Just give him a minute."

Davis was a bad liar. He had no idea where Bosco was and she could see it all over his face. Becoming upset, she struggled to free herself from the wreckage. If Davis wasn't going to help her, then she would have to find out where Bosco was for herself. Pulling herself up she nearly blacked out from the sheer intensity of the pain as Davis was quick to hold her back.

"Whoa Faith, we're going to have you out in no time…just sit tight for now. I promise…you'll be on your way to the hospital in a matter of minutes."

As she tried to catch her breath, the realization dawned on Faith that maybe she was hurt worse than she thought. It was so hard to breath and her heart wouldn't stop pounding. Every inch of her body ached in pain as movement of any sort was nearly impossible. These things were not good. Something was seriously wrong with her. Pinching her eyes shut she allowed the tears to flow freely down her cheeks. She was scared, and more than anything else she wanted Bosco to be there with her.

Lying face down on the dirty, wet pavement, the first sense that returned to Bosco was his sense of smell.

Piss.

He could smell it everywhere and all around him as he began to realize that he was probably laying in a puddle of it. Coughing he couldn't help but to feel completely disgusted.

The second sense that came back to him was his sense of touch as he quickly became aware of the hands in his pocket. Clenching his fist, pure rage shot through his body as he discovered that it was not his but someone else's hands in his pockets. Turning over, he grabbed the wrist of the man who was rummaging through his pockets and bent it backwards until a scream of pain was emitted. Kicking in the direction of the scream, the wind rushed out of his lungs as a rather large body fell on top of him.

That was a bad idea.

Now he was pinned underneath a potentially dangerous and definitely fat man. Gritting his teeth, Bosco used all his strength to free himself from his present situation. The perp was onto him, though, as he shifted his weight directly onto the young officer's chest. Wheezing, Bosco groped blindly in the darkness for some escape…any escape.

"Haha…thought you were smarter than me? Well, think again, pig." Winding up, the perp punched Bosco directly in mouth.

Teeth rattling, Bosco's field of vision blurred for a second as he lost all orientation of the situation. Not wasting any time, the larger man rose to his feet before planting his foot directly into the soft tissue surrounding Bosco's ribs. Crying out in pain, he automatically rolled onto his side. That was it. He was going to kill this son of a bitch.

Grunting loudly, he anticipated the larger man's second kick and instead stopped him in mid flow. Yanking his leg, he caused the perp to land hard on his back.

Not wanting to be taken advantage of again, Bosco wasted no time in getting on top of he other man. Driving his knee into the perp's stomach, Bosco hit him in the face as hard as he could. Winding up again he landed a devastating uppercut. Although it existed, the lighting was so meager that he half hoped his fist wouldn't miss the larger man all together. Driving in another blow, he was assured of his accuracy as a painful moan echoed in the darkness.

Sweat began to roll down his face as his heart threatened to pound right out of his chest. Taking a couple deep breaths, Bosco struggled to get a hold of himself. If he got too carried away, IAB would be blowing smoke up his ass for the next decade. Pushing himself into the standing position, Bosco immediately began searching for his Kell light. Panic ripped through his veins as he realized that it must have come loose in the struggle. He needed that light. With fear clouding his judgment, Bosco blindly ran his hands across the floor as he simultaneously lost focus of situation. That lapse in concentration was enough to give the now enraged criminal a window of opportunity.

Springing like a cat, the larger man showed remarkable agility as he tackled Bosco to the ground. Flipping him over, the perp didn't bother to punch his captor but rather went straight for the gun. In an instant terror swept through Bosco as he did everything he could to prevent his opponent from reaching what he wanted. This was his worst nightmare…it was every cop's worst nightmare. Being shot with your own gun is a fear that everyone in blue secretly harbors.

Latching onto the perp's fingers he yanked them back until he heard a crack and then he

continued to bend them anyway. Writhing in pain, the other man screamed while he remained careful not to back off. Filled with an uncontrollable rage, he wrapped his hands around Bosco's neck and slammed his head back into the concrete. Driving his knee into the young officer's groin, he moved to tighten the grip he held on Bosco's neck. Squeezing hard enough to feel the intricacies of his opponent's wind pipe, the criminal broke out into an evil laugh.

"Fuckin' stupid racist son of bitch. You deserve it. Do ya hear me? You deserve this!"

Bosco's world was becoming hazy as the lack of oxygen affected his brain. The perp's evil laugh resounded in his mind as he waited for death to come and take him. He was trapped, there was nothing that could be done. Suddenly, a cool whoosh of air filled his lungs as he realized that the other man was no longer choking him. A sense relief washed over him as he reveled in the second chance that he had been given.

Then it hit him.

His gun. It wasn't in the holster.

Tears involuntarily sprung up in his eyes. This was it. His life was going to end like this.

The uncontrollable urge to vomit came to him a moment later when he heard the click of the safety. Still thrashing he struggled in vain to free himself. The other man was just too big. Not making a sound, he silently cried in the darkness. He had never been this scared before in his entire life.

The next moment would change his life forever as felt the cool barrel of the Glock pressed directly into his forehead. Without warning his entire body began shaking uncontrollably. His hands were now uncoordinated in their retaliatory efforts as he became completely and utterly helpless. This was it. Pinching his eyes shut he didn't want to watch his life end in such a cowardly way. As he waited for death he thought of Faith. She meant the world to him. There's nothing he wouldn't do for her.

Finger nails digging into the soft flesh of palms, Bosco began to pray. _"Our father who art in heaven…hallow be they name. _Oh God please take care of my Ma. Be with her when she finds out about me. _Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. _Oh God please protect Faith. Watch her back on the streets. _Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as forgive those who trespass against us. _Oh God I'm sorry for the terrible things I've done. I'm sorry for the terrible things that I've said. _Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. _Oh God please make this quick. I can't stand it any longer. _Amen." _

**TBC……**

**Above lyrics are from Pearl Jam's "Last Kiss**


	3. Falls on Me

"**The Road Less Traveled"**

Author: carmen085

Email: All Third Watch characters are property of the NBC corporation and its affiliates while all original characters appearing in this story belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of **SEASON TWO**.

Summary: A deadly arsonist threatens friendships and loyalties at the 55 while an unlikely stranger helps Bosco overcome the worst day of his life

**Chapter Three**

_Am I that strong_

_To carry on_

_I might change your life_

_I might save my world _

_Could you save me ?_

When Bosco woke up on the morning of March 11, 2001, he had ever reason to expect that it would be just another normal day. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he showered, dressed and left for work. The shift itself had been quiet as his mind drifted back to earlier when they were parked under the FDR. If only he hadn't taken that call. If only he had considered his partner. If only he had actually taken the time to think before springing into action. Then they wouldn't be where they were now. They would probably still be parked under the highway; him sitting on the hood, her choking back tears in the RMP. But for whatever reason, life had chosen this path for both of them, and for better or worse neither Bosco nor Faith would ever be the same again.

In all his life, Bosco never thought that one day he would be begging for a second chance from some perp. If he were to die on the job, he had always imagined that it would be more heroic in nature. Never like this. Never at the hands of such filth. Never in a dark ghetto hallway. Never with his own gun. Never so alone or afraid. Yet here he was. Pinching his eyes shut more tightly, Bosco just wanted everything to be over.

Physically, he was nearing a pinnacle of terror that was absolutely mind blowing. Heart pounding violently, his breathing became severely erratic as he had little control over himself at this point. It was a state of being that could only be understood through experience. Then, just when he thought his body may explode under the tension, a metal ping resounded in the hallway. Within a split second the perp fell limp against him as the Glock harmlessly slide down the side of his face.

Panting like a dog, Bosco struggled to comprehend what had just happened. At first he thought that maybe he was dead and that metal ping was the sound of the gun. Quickly, dismissing that idea, he knew that the gun would have sounded more like an explosion than a simple metal ping. Despite this conclusion, however, he still couldn't quite wrap his head around what had just happened. He felt like he was alive, though he still wasn't sure. Fingering his forehead carefully, a chill went down his spine as he felt the indention that the Glock had made. While he was relieved to be in one piece, Bosco cringed at the horrific memories that he would now have to live with.

The perp was huge. Gathering all his strength, Bosco pushed the larger man off of him and to the side. For the first time since he had been attacked, Bosco took a deep breath of cool air. Despite foul odor of urine, Bosco thought the air smelled wonderful. It was cool and soothing against his battered lungs as he finally realized just how heavy the perp had been. Coughing loudly, he estimated that the larger man was probably at least two hundred and fifty pounds. That was a lot of weight on his chest for a very long time and he hoped that he didn't have any broken ribs. Lying on the cement floor, Bosco took a few more deep breaths as he struggled to place everything that was going on.

Someone was in there with him. He could hear them breathing.

The metal ping. They had a weapon. Probably a pipe or something. Panic gripped his body once again as he remember his gun. It was on the floor somewhere. Within a split second Bosco was on his feet groping blindly in the darkness. He had to find that gun. Thankfully, his fingers quickly came in contact with the cool metal handle. Ok…now all he needed was a light. His Kell light was long gone, though, he remembered the pen light in his front pocket. Still quite uncoordinated, he struggled to unzip his jacket pocket. Tears of frustration involuntarily sprung up in his eyes as Bosco rarely lost this much control. It was a helplessness that he could never quite get used to.

Bouncing the meager light from side to side, his eyes eventually came to rest on a young boy. Breathing a sigh of relief, he guessed that the kid couldn't have been much older than eleven. A metal baseball bat hung loosely in his left hand as he stared at the young officer inquisitively.

Laughing a little Bosco allowed the tension to simply melt away, "What…what's your name, kid?"

"AJ," the young man replied matter of factly. Abruptly turning his gaze toward the fallen perp, a new wave of interest struck the boy. "Is he dead ?"

Bosco was somewhat chilled not by the question but by the way that it was asked. So flat and uncaring, it became all too apparent that this young man had seen his fair share of tragedy. Bending over, Bosco placed two fingers onto the criminal's neck.

He was alive. Somewhere deep down, Bosco wished that he had been dead. Now, in addition to living with the memories he would also have to live with the knowledge that this piece of shit as still out there on the loose. Bending down, he held the criminal's limps arms behind his back as he cuffed his wrists together. There…that was better. Somewhat satisfied, he felt the situation swing back under his control.

"No, he's not dead." Shrugging his shoulders AJ looked somewhat disappointed.

"Oh well, I put a good hit on him, though." Bosco was disturbed by the way this kid viewed death. It was uncharacteristically casual in so many ways. Shaking it off, he reminded himself that this was the projects. Everything was different here.

"You sure did," advancing toward the kid Bosco inwardly cringed as he saw the boy back away. Stopping a safe distance away, he squatted down so that he was looking AJ in the eye. "I'm Officer Boscorelli. If you're ever in trouble tell the cops to call me, ok? Officer Boscorelli…remember that, alright?"

Nodding a bit, the young man returned Bosco's unblinking stare. Extending his hand, he looked at Bosco expectantly. "Deal…" His hand shake was firm and serious, Bosco thought as the boy turned to leave.

"Son of a bitch…" Fear tricked down his spine as he realized that the perp was coming to. Moaning and cursing the larger man struggled to free his hands from the sturdy nickel cuffs.

"You're not goin' anywhere, jag off." Reholstering his gun, Bosco struggled with his conscience. It was dark, they were alone, no one would know if he gave this dirt bag one swift kick in the ribs. Then again, if he did that he would be no better than this jag off. He was just to angry to walk away, though.

"Hey, pig…where's that bitch partner of yours when you need her, huh? What a dyke…" Laughing loudly the perp continued to taunt Bosco with his one and only true weakness. "She probably got her ass shot…" That was it. Morals went out the window as Bosco planted his foot deep into the criminal's side. "What the hell," coughing he struggled to breath, "What….is this…Rodney King?"

Breathing deeply, Bosco struggled to regain his composure. He couldn't get out of hand with this or IAB would be up his ass for the rest of his career. Yanking the perp to his feet, Bosco roughly drug him out of the hallway. "C'mon…hurry up, jag off."

Tripping all over the place, the perp couldn't seem to walk a straight line. Bosco's patience was already thin and this was not what he needed. At least he could breath deeply without choking on the stench of urine. Looking toward the sky, he realized that it was starting to get dark out.

Faith.

She was probably wondering what happened to him. Keying the radio he attempted to contact his lost partner. "Yokas…where are you?" Nothing. "Yokas, I'm gonna need some help back in the alley." Silence. Becoming slightly panicked, Bosco wondered if she was alright. Softening his voice, he nearly begged her to answer. "Faith…it's Bosco. Are you ok? Where are you?" Static. Scene after horrible scene flashed through his mind as he silently contemplated all the terrible things that could have happened.

"Ok, that's it. Get up." Still rolling around on the pavement, the perp laughed evilly. "Jesus Christ…GET UP!" Jerking the larger man to his feet Bosco began walking briskly across the courtyard back to the street side of Claremont Village. He had to find out what happened to Faith.

Davis had to fight back the urge to vomit when Jimmy and his crew pulled the roof off exposing Faith for the first time. She was a mess. Blood everywhere, he was sure that he could see splintered bones protruding from her body. Breathing deeply he put his own discomfort aside as her gaze remained locked on his face. Forcing a reassuring smile, Davis did anything he could to keep her calm.

"Ok, Faith we're going to slide you out onto this backboard now." Jumping in the back seat, Doc made sure that the C-collar was securely in place. Careful to keep her neck absolutely still, he placed both hands on either side of her face. Then, in one swift motion Doc, Carlos, Jimmy, and Davis pulled her from the wreckage. The pain was so intense that Faith began sobbing loudly.

"Oh God…Oh God…please don't hurt me…Oh God…please, Doc, just leave me alone. Please." Her body withered in pain as the medics strapped her to the backboard.

"You're going to the hospital, Faith. Everything's gonna be ok." Glancing back up at his partner, Doc conveyed the gravity of the situation with his intense stare. "We gotta go, Carlos. Start her fluids once we get her in the bus." All but running the medics quickly loaded Faith in the ambulance. A little unsure of what to do next, Davis decided to hang back and find Bosco. "You coming, Davis ?" Doc glared at the young officer questioningly.

"No, no you go. I'm gonna find Bosco and then we'll be there." Slamming the back doors of the bus closed, Davis gave he window a hard tap as Carlos sped away.

Deciding that nothing more could be done, Davis got into his RMP and went back up the street to brief his partner. Since he left to help Faith, a bus had already taken the original victim to the hospital. Sully was busy interviewing anyone who would give a statement as Davis parked the car behind him.

Nodding politely to his interviewees, Sully flipped the memo book closed. "We'll be in touch if we need anything else." Turning to Davis, his face was etched with concern, "How is she ?"

Running a nervous hand through his crew cut, Davis struggled to convey what he had just seen. "It's bad, man. Real bad." His description did little justice to the carnage of the accident, though, at the moment he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Shaking his head, Sully stared at nothing in particular as he too struggled to find the right words. "Did Bosco go with her to the hospital ?"

Not trying to conceal his distaste Davis looked at Sully a but incredulously. "Bosco ? I don't even know where the hell he is. Last I saw of him he was chasing that perp back into the alley."

"You mean he doesn't know about Yokas ?" Sully had trouble believing that Bosco wouldn't be there for his partner. Despite being an annoying jackass, Bosco was always there for Faith when she needed him. It was one of the few things that Sully admired about the man.

"No. I can't even raise him on the radio," biting his tongue to keep himself from saying something unnecessarily harsh Davis narrowed his eyes in anger, "He's probably off playing super cop somewhere."

All but dragging the larger man, Bosco was desperate to find out what was going on out on the street. Rounding the corner he spotted Sullivan and Davis as well as various other emergency personnel gathered near where he had left Faith.

"Sully ? What the hell happened out here ?" The perp fell to his knees as Bosco let go of him and stepped out of the courtyard onto the sidewalk.

Neither Sully nor Davis could hide the look of surprise on their faces. Turning away for a moment, Davis felt somewhat guilty. He really had no idea what was going on. Sighing, the young officer knew that what he was about to tell Bosco would probably destroy him. "Bosco. Where were you ?"

Out of breath from the walk he looked between his two friends searching for any hint of where this conversation was headed, "I was…inside chasing this son of a bitch," gesturing toward the perp a look of worry crossed his face, "Why ? What happened ?"

Both Sully and Davis exchanged unsure glances, "Something happened, man. To Faith."

He felt sick. He knew something was wrong. "What ? What are you talking about, Davis ?"

Stepping in front of him, Ty wanted to tell Bosco what happened before he got a good look at what was left of 55-David. "There was an accident, ok, and Faith was hit…"

"No….don't say that. She's ok. Just….just let me get her on the radio…just wait…" Trying not to loose it in front of everyone, he turned away. Pinching his eyes shut he wished that everything about this day would go away.

Placing his hands on Bosco's shoulders, Davis forced his colleague to look at him. "She was awake when they took her to the hospital. Wouldn't stop asking about you….But it was bad, Bosco….really bad." All the color drained from his face as he leaned heavily against the car. Head in his hands, he had no idea what to do or say next.

Leaning back next to Bosco, Sully stared at the younger officer's pallid face and shaking hands. Silently, he wondered if maybe that was how he looked when Ty Sr. had been shot. Swallowing hard, he realized that this situation was now in his hands as one look at his partner told him as much. Avoiding any and all eye contact with Bosco, Davis pretended to be engrossed in the nonexistent architecture of the projects.

"C'mon, Bosco, we're going to the hospital." Taking the initiative, Sully gently guided his colleague toward the passenger side door of 55-Charlie.

A part of Bosco didn't want to go to the hospital. He didn't want to see his partner lying in the bed bloody and broken all because of him. He didn't want to be there if things went wrong. He didn't want those images in his head for the rest of his life. But the better half of him knew that he needed to be there. If Faith was hurt or scared he needed to be by her side like a partner or a friend should be.

Suddenly he remember the perp still laying on the sidewalk. "Who's going to take him ?" Jumping into action, Davis was relieved that he could do something useful that didn't entail any further involvement in their present situation.

"I'll call for another car and then take him in. It's no problem, I'll catch up with you guys later at the hospital." Sully knew that Ty had had enough the moment he told him about Faith. Only being on the streets a year and a half, Davis was still considered a rookie and situations such as these were still new and very frightening. Feeling a wave of pride wash over him, he thought that his young apprentice had done all that he could for one day.

As Sully threw the car into a sharp U-turn, Bosco finally realized what the collection of emergency personnel at the other end of the street were doing. As they got closer to the wreckage of 55-David, his heart sunk. There was hardly any sign of a car left at all. Squinting his eyes he thought that he could barely see the emblazoned unit number on the rear bumper. 5649. That had been his and Faith's car for four years…now it was nothing more than a heap of crumpled metal and broken glass. Eyes wandering, he landed on the much less damaged white paneled truck. Anger began to boil in his veins as he caught sight of the driver, standing relatively unscathed near the rear. The man looked to be about forty or so with a beer belly and graying black hair. Looking twice, Bosco couldn't help but to notice the relaxed, uncaring look on the man's face. His posture was slouched as he gestured erratically in the air. He was drunk. The realization hit Bosco like a ton of bricks as the anger inside of him caused beads of sweat to roll down his forehead.

"Stop the car, Sully."

"What ? What the hell are you talking about?"

"STOP THE GODDAMNED CAR !" Not waiting for a response, he threw the door open and jumped out of the moving RMP.

"Bosco? Bosco !" Dumbfounded that his colleague would do something so stupid, Sully was quick to put the car into park. This was not something that they needed right now.

The inebriated truck driver had no idea what was coming when Bosco lunged at him from behind. In a flash both men were on the ground throwing punches. Naturally, Bosco had the upper hand as he pinned the driver down against the wheel well of the truck. Not caring one bit about the consequences he would face, Bosco walloped the man's face mercilessly. Driving his knee into the driver's groin, he wrapped his hands around the man's neck in a tight choke hold. Bosco took pleasure in seeing the driver's eyes bulge out of their sockets as he struggled to get a breath of air. Leaning in close, Bosco screamed in the man's face, "Do you know what you've done? You worthless son of a bitch ? Do you know what you've done !"

"Jesus Christ ! What are you doing ?" Glancing over his shoulder Bosco's eyes fell on the stunned face of Jimmy Doherty. "Get off him, Bosco !" Using all his strength, Jimmy pulled his friend off the defenseless truck driver. Landing in a heap, Sully arrived just before Bosco turned his anger onto Jimmy. Laughing a little, Jimmy called out after his colleague, "You'll thank me one day, Boscorelli !"

Sully kept a tight grip on Bosco's left arm as he all but drug him back to 55-Charlie. "We don't need this right now, Bosco. I know you're upset but beating the snot out of that guy is not going to help anyone."

"Let me go, Sully…I swear," voice low and threatening Bosco attempted to wiggle free of his co-worker's strong grasp. Shoving him back into the car, Sully slammed the door angrily. This was unbelievable. Getting in behind the wheel, Sully glared at Bosco with contempt.

"That was really stupid, you know. There were news reporters back there…IAB is.." Not in the mood for a lecture Bosco cut him off short of IAB

"Save it Sully. We need to get the hospital." This wasn't over, but for now, he was right, they had to get to the hospital. Reluctantly pulling out, Sully sped off toward the hospital.

Angel of Mercy Hospital was exactly fifteen blocks away from the scene of the accident. Not much of a journey by New York standards, though, it seemed to take forever for them to get there. Each agonizing block seemed longer than the last as Bosco played scene after horrible scene over again in his mind. He had no idea what to expect when he got there and the thought that she might already be gone terrified him.

When Sully pulled up to the ER, part of Bosco wanted to stay in the car. He didn't want to see Faith in all that pain. He didn't want to see her weak and vulnerable. That just wasn't her. She was always the level headed one, the controlled one, the strong one; and he was always just the opposite. Taking a deep breath Bosco now realized that the roles were reversed, and the second he walked through those doors he would have to be the level headed one, the controlled one, the strong one.

"C'mon, Bosco." Urging him along, Sully waiting until Bosco snapped out of his trance before proceeding toward the entrance. Just like his colleague, he too dreaded walking through those doors. Despite any attempts to make light of the situation, twenty years worth of experience caused a lump to rise up in his throat any time he thought of Faith. He'd seen things like this before and knew damn well how they usually turned out. Eyes tilted toward the sky, he watched as low gray clouds rolled in and silently wondered how such a nice day had turned so crappy.

As usual the ER was like a bee hive. Nurses, doctors, paramedics bustling here and there. Searching the faces, Bosco looked for anyone familiar. Nothing. The one time that he desperately needed information he couldn't find a single person he knew. Wandering around a bit, he finally ran into Proctor.

"Where is she, Mary ?" Taken completely by surprise, the veteran nurse stopped dead in her tracks. It had taken over a half an hour but they'd finally gotten Faith stable enough for the OR. Despite this, however, things did not look good. Most of her ribs were crushed, her liver was lacerated, there was massive internal bleeding, and Morales was fairly certain that she wouldn't make it out of surgery. Nonetheless they sent her up in hope of a miracle.

Now Proctor struggled to find the right words. She didn't want to lie yet the truth was too much to bear. She could barely understand the injustice of it herself let alone explain it to someone else. "Oh…uh…Dr. Morales will be out in minute." Brushing past him quickly, Proctor busied herself behind the desk.

Bosco was pissed. He wanted answers and wasn't getting them. "Proctor, where the hell is my partner?" Picking up the phone, the nurse pretended not to hear Bosco. Sully looked around uncomfortably as he searched for a way to calm his friend down before this situation got out of hand too.

That was it. He was going to do whatever it took to get answers. Taking one good swipe, he cleared the entire desk of charts. Landing on the linoleum with a loud clank, the hefty charts fell apart as papers scattered all over the floor.

Biting down hard on his tongue, Sully stared at he mess on the floor as only one word came to mind. "Crap."

Everyone within earshot stopped to stared at the spectacle as Bosco whirled around looking into each of their face. "Please…my partner, Faith Yokas, was brought here. I need to know where she is…can someone…please," desperation laced his voice as his pleading eyes scanned the stunned crowd.

"Hey, what the hell is going on out here?" Hearing the commotion all the way back in the trauma bay, Dr. Morales instantly decided to investigate. When her eyes landed on Bosco, though, she needed no further explanation. Groaning she rubbed her face, this was going to be a long day. "Come with me, Bosco." For the first time that day, Bosco finally felt like things were going his way. Morales would take him to see Faith and then everything would be alright. Numbly following her onto the elevator, he barely noticed that Sully has chosen to hang back and patch things up in the ER. Although he didn't realize it at the time, Bosco would one day understand how much his friends had did for him that day.

The surgical waiting room was spacious and comfortably, though, for all he cared it could have been broom closet. Nonetheless he forced himself to sit still and listen to Morales. "Bosco, you need to calm down, ok. I know this is hard for you and you probably feel like you're going crazy but right now you need to wait. Faith is in surgery. When they brought her into the ER she was awake but very confused. She's lost a lot of blood and most of her bones are broken. Her ribs are crushed and she's having some difficulty breathing." Bosco had to fight to stay there and listen to such terrible things. Gripping the arms of the chair his knuckles turned white as some sort of unseen inertia threatened to push him out the door and far away from this entire nightmare. "Now, we have the best surgeon available in there working on her, but I have to be honest with you, Bosco. It doesn't look good."

It doesn't look good. Four words that he never thought could be so devastating. Sinking into the chair he struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. "Listen, Bosco, I need to get back down to the ER but I'll come back up and check on you in a little while. The surgeon will be out as soon as he's done so just sit tight until then." Sinking further into the chair he barely noticed her leave the room.

Never in a million years did Bosco ever think that something like this would happen to him. Over the past four years he'd seen other people's partners hurt or killed but despite all this he never thought that something like that could happen to him. Bad things are always for someone else…that's the way we all think. But on this day, Maurice Boscorelli became someone else's "someone else" as the dark shadows of misfortune crept out of obscurity and into his life.

**TBC……**

**Above lyrics are from Fuel's "Falls on Me"**


	4. Untitled

"**The Road Less Traveled"**

Author: carmen085

Email: All Third Watch characters are property of the NBC corporation and its affiliates while all original characters appearing in this story belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of **SEASON TWO**.

Summary: A deadly arsonist threatens friendships and loyalties at the 55 while an unlikely stranger helps Bosco overcome the worst day of his life

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay in updating. I think this chapter will be worth the wait, though ! Also, just as a side note, if you can try to listen to the songs that I have posted at the beginning of each chapter as you are reading it. It makes the chapter a lot better ! Feedback is always welcome.

**Chapter Four**

_How could this happen to me? _

_I've made my mistakes_

_Got nowhere to run_

_The night goes on as I'm fading away_

Growing up there were a lot of things that Bosco didn't have, but above all else the one thing missing most from his childhood was a sense of trust. Early on, he learned how to conceal the emotions that would get him in trouble. Sadness did nothing but bring his mother and Mikey down while any sort of sensitivity would just add fuel to his father's alcoholic driven fire. So Bosco became tough and before long he didn't even flinch when being hit. Telling himself over and over that this was the way it had to be, Bosco slowly began to build a wall around his heart.

Then came Faith.

He never meant to get so close to her, but somehow, someway she managed to get inside of him. He never expected a friend like Faith nor did he think that he truly deserved her. She snuck up on him, flew under his radar, and before he knew it he couldn't imagine life without her. But it hadn't always been that way.

_First they were strangers. _

_For Bosco it was hard to imagine a time when he didn't know Faith Yokas. But that time had existed, hadn't it ? Up until August 25, 1992 he could have passed her on the streets, sat next to her on the subway, or shared a cab with her and not even given her a second thought. As far as he was concerned she was just another face in the crowd…another stranger on the streets of New York. A stranger, however, whose life would eventually become intertwined with his for the rest of eternity._

_Then they were enemies._

_Long before they had been properly introduced, Faith had noticed Bosco, in fact, it was hard to ignore him. Always needling the other cadets, he never missed a chance to point out his obvious superiority. Usually safe from his incessant harassment, she was shocked when he approached her with a deal. As it would turn out the infallible Maurice Boscorelli wasn't such a ten when it came to book work as he offered to shoot her targets if she let him copy her exams. Not even responding to his ridiculous proposal, she gave him half a peace sign and walked away. But Bosco wasn't mad…he just smiled. She was going to be a challenge. _

_Next they were friends. _

_No matter how hard Faith tried to block him out, Bosco was persistent as hell. He wouldn't take no for answer and within a week she proposed a deal of her own. She would help him study if he helped her shoot. That was it. They would work their way through the academy as a team, and there would be no cheating. While he balked at the idea initially, Bosco eventually took her up on the offer as it was the beginning of a friendship that would often stumble but never fail. _

_Then they were partners._

_  
Upon graduation from the academy, both Bosco and Faith knew that they made a great team. His strengths were her weaknesses and vice versa. Making a commitment to one another, they petitioned 1 PP to be assigned to the same house. Initially they were rejected as the department usually tries its best to randomize the station assignments. But then someone must have realize what a headache Bosco could be if paired with anyone other than Faith. A year to the date afterward, Bosco and Faith christened patrol sector 55-David as partners. They started their careers together never once thinking that they would one day end them apart. _

_Now they were inseparable_

_To trust another person with your life is perhaps the greatest gift that can ever be given. It symbolizes a level of understanding that is often dreamt of yet rarely achieved. For Bosco he had never trusted anyone with anything until he met Faith. She was everything to him. His partner, his confidant, his mentor, and most importantly his friend. There wasn't a damn thing that he wouldn't do for her as the thought of life without her was unimaginable. While they may have a stared out as complete strangers they were now inseparable in every sense of the word. _

Somewhere in the recesses of his conscious world, Bosco suddenly became aware of the rhythmic pounding behind his head. Slipping free of his dream like state, he forced his eyes open. The sharp, white light hurt his head as he acknowledged the dramatic change outside. Day had steadily faded into night as rain now replaced sunshine. Hugging himself, Bosco felt a chill run down his spine.

He didn't know what to expect. Image after image flashed through his mind as he subconsciously tapped his foot on the linoleum. He was scared as hell. This was all very new to him. In situations such as these he was usually on the outside…the far outside. He was a cop and when tragedy struck it was his job to find the family and bring them to the hospital. That was it. He wasn't a social worker or a guidance counselor or a priest. His involvement terminated before the horrifying notions became tragic realities. He never had to come inside the pain…he never had to make it his own.

Springing up to his feet, Bosco had no idea what to do with himself. He couldn't sit there a second longer yet at the same time there was no where to go. The anticipation was almost unbearable as he paced back and forth. Stopping next to the window he exhaled deeply as the glass quickly clouded up. This was so much harder than he ever would have imagined. Resting his head against the cool glass he allowed his eyes to drift shut.

No matter how many times he went over the day's events, he still couldn't get a handle on what happened. Scene after scene flashed through his mind as he tried to gain better understanding of the situation. Sitting under the FDR. Chasing the perp. Dark hallways. Cold Gun. Drunk Driver. Bright lights. Pain. Fear. Anxiety. Panic.

"Still no word?" The sound of Sully's voice caused Bosco to jump. He hadn't even heard the older man come in. Taking a few deep breaths, he suddenly became aware of the sharp pain in his right side. Wincing noticeably, he stroked the tender area with his middle three fingers. That bastard perp probably bruised his ribs. Looking back up, he realized that Sullivan was staring at him.

"What?" Feigning ignorance, he hoped that the older officer wouldn't question him.

"Have you heard anything about Faith?" Moving toward Bosco, Sully pulled up a chair and sat down.

"No." Still stroking his side, Bosco avoided all eye contact. The less he had to explain the better.

Rocking back in the chair, Sully decided to leave it alone for now. Bosco was already walking a thin emotional line and he, for one, did not want to be the person to push him over the edge. "I talked to Davis. He processed your guy. No problems." Smoothly changing the subject, he hoped to lighten the mood somewhat.

Nodding his head, Bosco allowed himself a moment of detachment to think about what Sully had just said. "That's good." His deadpan voice revealed about as much emotion as his blank stare. He could care less…the only thing that mattered right now was his partner.

Grinding his teeth back and forth, Sully stared at Bosco and saw a reflection of himself. It had been fifteen years since Ty Sr. was shot, but the memories were as if it only happened yesterday. While time does heal all wounds, a part of him still hadn't gotten over what happened to his partner and friend. It was all so sudden, so unexpected. One minute they were walking through the park, the next Davis was on the ground shot in the head. Even though there wasn't much hope, they took him to the hospital anyway. And just like Bosco…Sully waited. Deep down he had known that Ty was gone, yet a part of him denied the inevitable. This was a good hospital with good doctors…they would save him…they had to save him. But they didn't….they couldn't, and even though Sully always knew it he still couldn't accept it. Not when the doctors told him his partner was gone. Not during the funeral when he carried the coffin. Not in the weeks afterward when he went out on patrol alone. Not even now when he looked at Bosco and a saw a mirror image of himself. He would never fully accept losing Ty. It would always be an open chapter of his life.

"So this is what it's like?" Bosco's abrupt comment took Sully by surprise.

"What ?"

Rocking forward so that his elbows rested on his knees, Bosco ran his index finger back and forth across his lower lip. For a moment he appeared to be lost in thought. Turning to look at Sully, he repeated his words. "So, this is what it's like to you know…lose a partner." Sully was genuinely surprised by Bosco's choice of words. Never in a million years did he think that Bosco would give up on Faith so easily. Before he could find the right response, Bosco went on with his rambling. "You know…nothing's certain but I mean we all saw the car. People…they don't survive crashes like that. Faith's strong but…she's not unbreakable…" It was almost painful to hear him talk. The emotion behind his voice was raw and caused his normal tone to fluctuate rapidly. Gesturing erratically in the air, he continued "I know I should have been there…a good partner would have been there. I just…" All the emotions that had been building inside of him were coming out as the fear in his voice was almost too much for either of them to bear. Before he could go any further Sully interjected a comment of his own.

"I don't believe this." Immediately going on the defense, Bosco shot back at him.

"What ?"

"I don't believe that you 're giving up on Faith this easily. She wouldn't give up on you…I know that."

Not even waiting for the thought to sink in, Bosco instantly attacked his comrade. "Mind your own goddamn business, Sully. Why the hell are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be off somewhere solving problems?" Jumping out of his chair, Bosco started pacing back and forth in front of Sullivan. He was too angry, too worried, too panicked, too scared to sit still any longer.

Trying to remain calm, Sully mustered his most even tone as he replied, "Bosco, you need to get a hold of yourself, sit down, and really think about what's happening here. Ok?"

Bosco was becoming more agitated by the second as the last thing he needed to hear right now was a lecture from the 55's one and only community guidance counselor. Whirling around from his position at the window, he let loose on Sully. Gesturing erratically in the air, he subconsciously allowed words that he didn't mean to come out of his mouth. "You know what, Sully ? The last thing I need right now is someone telling me what to do. I mean, if you're so smart then why didn't you save your own partner when you had the chance ?" Knowing that he had gone too far, Bosco instantly regretted his last comment.

Biting down on his tongue, Sully knew that he was backing Bosco into a corner but he never expected this. As much as he wanted to rip into the younger man, he held back knowing that this was neither the time nor the place. Standing up, Sully moved toward the door. Before leaving he turned back to face Bosco one last time. "Pull yourself together, Bosco, and don't make the same mistakes that I did. Don't let your partner down when she needs you the most." With that he was gone.

Walking across the room, Bosco watched as Sully disappeared onto the elevator. While he didn't really want to be alone, he also couldn't stand being watched. Taking off his jacket he threw it onto a nearby table. Leaning against the table, Bosco crossed his arms over his chest. Closing his eyes for just a second, he began mentally preparing himself for the task that laid ahead. In so many ways, it was almost an impossible struggle as he fought hard to keep his emotions separated from the reality of the situation.

Massaging his forehead back and forth, he froze in position for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. Fred. No one had bothered to call Fred. Reluctantly whipping out is cell phone, Bosco started dialing Faith's home phone number. As much as he hated Fred, the man had a right to be there. Faith would want him there, he was her husband after all.

1 ring. 2 rings. 3 rings. Where the hell was he? 4 rings. 5 rings. 6 rings. Becoming frustrated, Bosco was just about to punch the end button when a voice came on the other line. "Hey…"

"Fred? It's Bosco. I…" Before he could say anything else, the mechanical voice cut him short.

"….we can't come to the phone right now, so if you leave your name and…" Slamming the phone shut, he didn't wait to hear the rest of the message.

"Just great." The one time that he actually needed to get a hold of Fred, the man was no where to be found. Staring down at the numbered buttons, he contemplated calling Midnight Express. He had to do it….as much as he didn't want to face his partner's husband right now he had to call him. Begrudgingly pressing the send button, Bosco called a number that was reserved exclusively for emergencies.

"Hello ?" An annoyed voice answered almost immediately.

"Uh…yeah…Is Fred Yokas there ?"

"Who wants to know?"

"This is Officer Boscorelli…I'm his wife's partner…" On the other end of the line Bosco heard a bit of chewing before the man finally answered.

"Boscorelli, huh? Yeah…Freddy's told me about you. Always in his business…"

This was unbelievable. As if he didn't already have enough problems, and now he had to deal with some jag off who wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"Jesus Christ ! Is he there or not ?" Bosco had had about all that he could take, and after a bit of huffing the man reluctantly replied.

"No. He's not here…haven't seen him in a few days." Before he could say anything else, Bosco hung up. Glaring down at the phone with contempt, a curse was just about to roll off his tongue when Dr. Morales walked into the lounge.

Even before she opened her mouth, he was already in motion. Meeting the young doctor halfway, he stared into her eyes with a pleading expression. "Please….Please tell me you've heard something."

Nodding, Morales took a hold of Bosco's hands and led him toward a set of chairs. As calm as she was, there was something about her demeanor that caused him to become uncomfortable. Pulling away from Morales, Bosco stopped dead in his tracks. "What's going on, here?" Alarm filled his body as he suddenly realized that she was making no attempt to dissuade his fears.

"Bosco, please, come sit down." Shaking his head vigorously, Bosco began to pace back and forth.

"No. I don't want to sit down. I want to know what's going on with my partner."

Leaning forward on her knees, Morales exhaled loudly. "I just spoke with Dr. Forsythe, the surgeon, and I'm afraid that it's bad news."

Suddenly feeling weak, he leaned against the table for support. His heart felt as though it might beat right out of his chest, as his breath noticeably quickened.

"Because of the violent nature of her accident, Faith has massive internal injuries. Now Dr. Forsythe was able to repair most of the damage to Faith's spleen and liver, but she's losing more blood than we have the capabilities to replace. I'm sorry, Bosco but we've done all that we can."

Hot tears stung his eyes and he immediately covered his face with his hands. This was a nightmare. Moving across the room, Morales gently touched Bosco's arm, as she simultaneously caught a glimpse of his tear stained cheeks. "She's awake….and she wants to see you." The doctor paused for a moment as she wanted to choose her next words very carefully. "I know this is hard for you, Bosco, but there may not be much time left. You need to go to her."

Silently nodding his head, Bosco made no move to uncover his face. He couldn't believe that this was happening. His entire body felt weak as his brain struggled to comprehend the horrible truths that had just been laid out before him. Faith had massive internal injuries. The doctors tried but there was nothing more they could do. She was losing a lot of blood. No matter how many times he repeated the facts over in his mind, he still didn't believe that they were true.

Sensing that there was nothing more she could do, Morales excused herself back to the ER. While they were simple, her words had, for all intents and purposes, ended an era. After tonight there would be no more 55-David. The partnership of Bosco and Faith would fade into the past as a friendship would be lost and a man left forever changed. Bosco would never be the same person again. Sure, he would look the same and talk the same, maybe he would even act the same but a light inside of him would go out. He would lose a step, become less alert, and rarely smile. Being the police wouldn't mean as much and his shield would never again shine so bright. Bosco would soon come to dread the coming of each new day, and welcome the dark obscurity of night.

After Morales had disappeared from sight, Bosco uncovered his face. Even without looking he knew that he was probably a sight to be seen. His face felt hot as his eyes burned in their sockets. He couldn't go in to see Faith like this, it would do nothing but upset her. Hurrying out of the lounge, he made a beeline for the men's restroom across the hall. Dousing his face with ice cold water, he suddenly felt a sense of focus return to his frazzled nerves. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, Bosco was shocked to discover how bad he looked. His normally tan face had suddenly taken on a sickly pallor as his bloodshot eyes reflected every bit of the day's torture. Toweling himself off hastily, Bosco left the bathroom before he had anymore second thoughts.

Faith's room was only at the end of the hallway, but as far as Bosco was concerned it might as well have been a world away. Each step was more agonizing than the last as he willingly marched toward the worst kind of unknown destiny. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he realized that people were watching him. While they weren't exactly staring, he could nonetheless feel their questioning glances all around him. As he neared Faith's room his heart rate began to quicken. Standing there in front of her door he swallowed the lump in his throat and took a deep breath. This was it, there was no turning back now. Carefully, pushing the door open he entered the cool, darkened room. Immediately his eyes landed on Faith. Despite the situation she looked to be at peace with herself as he watched her chest slowly raise and fall in the darkness. Moving a little closer, he was finally able to discern the details of her face. As he stood there staring at her beaten frame, a wave of guilt washed over him. It should be him instead of Faith. She had a husband who loved her and kids that needed her, and he….he had no one. Noticing that there was a bit of room on the bed, Bosco slid himself next to Faith all the while making certain that he never took his eyes off of her. Pushing the covers back a little he took her hand in his own without hesitation. The sudden movement caused Faith to stir a little before opening her eyes.

The moment that her eyes met his, Bosco knew what he had to do. Even if it killed him, he was going to be strong for her…it was, after all, the least that he could do. Pushing his own fears aside, Bosco leaned over and placed a gentle kiss her on forehead. Taken aback somewhat, Faith was surprised to receive any sort of affection from her typically insensitive partner.

Smiling a little she made light of the situation, "Oh man, I guess I really am dying." Giving his hand a squeeze she made sure that he knew she was only kidding.

Despite the seriousness of the situation Bosco allowed a small laugh to escape his lips. Straightening himself out, he gave her a reassuring smile. "C'mon, Faith. Don't talk like that. Everything's going to be ok." It was an out and out lie that he instantly regretted saying.

Tears welled up in her eyes, as she took a few deep breaths. "Don't Bosco…..Just don't." Biting down on his tongue, Bosco felt absolutely horrible for upsetting her. This was exactly what he didn't want to do, yet somehow, someway he still managed to screw up. Blinking back tears of his own, he subconsciously stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

While she was still quite upset, Faith couldn't help but to feel comforted by her partner's small gestures. Glancing past him, she looked toward the door in hopes of seeing Fred or the children.

"I tried to get a hold of Fred but I couldn't find him anywhere. He wasn't at home or at work." Nodding, Faith seemed to understand the situation completely.

"No, you won't be able to find him," pausing for a moment she suddenly felt guilty about burdening Bosco with her family problems yet again, "He took the kids and left me."

This time the tears spilled over her cheeks as she choked back the sob rising in her throat. A pained look crossed Bosco's face as suddenly realized why Faith had been so distant the past few weeks. Watching as his partner withered in agony, he wanted nothing more than to trade places with her. Searching for the right thing to say he came up empty handed. There were no words that could ever make this better and in more ways than one it was killing him.

Lapsing into an awkward silence, Bosco allowed himself to become lost in the moment. As his senses kicked into overdrive, the conscious world began to appear more vividly than it ever had before. The steady drizzle outside had now escalated to an all out downpour as he was sure that he could hear every droplet of rain hitting the window. Above Faith's bed, the fluorescent light hummed softly as a chorus of voices echoed in the hallway. Near the window the radiator rattled loudly, though, he could still discern a muffled sob every now and then. Rearranging himself on the bed, Bosco was once again reminded of the discomfort in his right side. Being careful not to alarm his partner, he bite back wave after wave of aching pain as he tried his damnest to keep a straight face. Clutching her hand firmly in his, Bosco subtly reminded her of his support.

"You know what I was thinking about today ?" Her voice shattered the silence as Bosco was abruptly pulled from his thoughts. Smiling a sad, sweet smile he raised a questioning eyebrow in her direction.

"What's that?"

Exhaling deeply, she closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to choose every word carefully so that once she was gone, he would have something to remember and hold onto. Without opening her eyes, she began to speak.

"Do you remember the first day we met?" Laughing a little Bosco mused at her coincidental choice of words.

"Actually, I was just thinking about it out in the waiting room." Nodding her head, Faith conveyed a sense of understanding. A small smile broke out over her beaten face as she continued to reminisce.

"You were such a pain in the ass," pausing she allowed a laugh to escape her lips. Growing serious once again, she looked him straight in the eye, "But I never could have made it with out you."

Bosco had to look away so that she wouldn't see the tears forming in his eyes. Swallowing hard, his gaze remained transfixed on the window. Nodding he appeared to be having a silent conversation with himself. "Faith…I should have been there. I…this should be me…not you."

Slipping her hand free of his grasp, Faith reached out and gently touched his face. An intense level of affection passed between them in that moment as they took comfort in their new found physical closeness. Faith was surprised with the level of truth that she discovered when she let go of the inhibitions that typically ruled her everyday actions. In all her life she had never felt so right as she had in that moment.

At first Bosco was somewhat surprised by Faith's demonstrative gesture. Physical affection had never been a part of their relationship and suddenly he wondered why. Everything about this moment was absolutely perfect. The warmth of her touch seemed to travel all throughout his body as a sweet sense of tranquility washed over him. Leaning his face into her hand, he wished that he could stay like this forever.

"Bosco, being your partner was the greatest honor of my life. I wouldn't trade a single day we spent together for anything in the world. You're my best friend and…" A deep, searing pain shot through her left side. Pinching her eyes shut she struggled to continue, "and I never could have been the person I am today without you. You challenged me to be a better cop, a better wife, a better mother, and a better person." Tears trickled down her cheeks as their eyes met for the first time. A sad smile broke out over her face as she ran her thumb back and forth across his cheek. "I'm gonna miss you, Bosco."

That was it. He couldn't take it anymore. His normally handsome face contorted with grief as the tears flowed freely down his face. Without thinking he reached up and intertwined his fingers with Faith's. "Faith…no. I should be thanking you." His voice wavered with raw emotion. "Before I met you, I didn't understand the meaning of true friendship. You were the first person I trusted. You were the first person who I worried about. You were the first person I understood, but more importantly you were the first person who understood _me. _You saved me, Faith, and even if I live for a hundred years, not a day will go by that I won't think of you and be grateful for what you did for me."

In all his life Bosco had never been so genuine or so sincere. He meant every single word, and was very surprised at how easily they had flowed from his mouth. The weight of his words were not lost on Faith as her gaze reflected a silent admiration. His words filled her with a comforting warmth that dulled the harsh reality of her condition. The pain in her side was increasing to a point where she could no longer hide it. Breathing raggedly, a low moan escaped her lips. Becoming instantly alarmed, Bosco stared at her with a questioning expression.

"Should I get a nurse?" There was nothing that could be done. It was only a matter of time now. Shaking her head vigorously, Faith forced a reassuring smile.

"No…I'm ok." Liar. A small internal voice berated her for her choice, though, her logical side provided reinforcement. Her last moments with Bosco needed to be perfect. Clutching the bed sheets with her free hand, Faith's knuckles turned white. Her heart was now beating more and more slowly as her breathes were increasingly shallow. Meanwhile the pain seemed to be nearing some sort of unimaginable climax. Faith's eyelids drooped a little as her vision of Bosco became more and more narrow. Was this the end ? A wave of panic shot through her body as she realized all that she would be leaving behind. She couldn't go yet, she still had things to do and people to say goodbye to. What would happen to Emily and Charlie ? Would Fred take care of them ? Would they miss her ? In some ways she wished that they were there with her now. She wanted so badly to tell them how much she loved them, but even more than that she wanted to hear how much they loved her. She needed to make sure that they would be ok without her. More than anything, though, she wanted to hold them and kiss them and be their mother for as long as God would let her. "Bosco ?"

"Yeah, Faith ?"

Swallowing hard, she mustered all her strength for one last fight. "I need you to promise me something."

His stomach sunk as he realized that this was indeed the end. "Anything." His voice sounded small and weak, though, it was clear she had heard him.

Gasping for air, Faith steeled herself against the pain. Through tears she imparted her last request upon Bosco. "Promise me…Promise me that you'll tell Emily and Charlie how much I love them," the sobbing was making it harder for her to breath but despite this she continued, "Tell them that I'll always be watching over them. Tell them that I love them, Bosco. Tell them everyday."

The tears in his eyes were blinding his visions as he nodded his head robotically. "I promise I'll tell them….don't worry, Faith…I'll tell them."

With a sense of satisfaction, she relaxed into the bed. Her pain was now subsiding and she felt completely at peace. It was amazing. Warmth flooded her body as a sensation of intense tranquility washed over her. All the violence and trauma of the past few hours had simply faded away. Reaching up, she gently wiped the tears from her partner's cheek. As her eyes began to close, Bosco leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodbye Faith."

With her last breath, Faith replied, "No, Bosco. Don't say goodbye…say goodnight so that it's never over."

Despite the tears flowing down his face, Bosco managed a slight smile. "Goodnight Faith."

As her eyes drifted shut Faith left this world with the feeling of happiness and the image of her partner's sad, sweet smile.

**TBC…..**

**Above lyrics are from Simple Plan's "Untitled" **

**Faith's last words to Bosco are lyrics from Binocular's "Don't say Goodbye, Say Goodnight"**


	5. Whiskey Lullaby

"**The Road Less Traveled"**

Author: carmen085

E-mail: All Third Watch character are property of the NBC Corporation and its affiliates while all original characters belong to me.

Spoilers: Up through and including most of season two

Summary: While still reeling from a terrible accident, Bosco and his streetwise new partner are chosen to go undercover and investigate a string of arsons that has the 55 questioning members of its own department.

**Chapter Five**

"_Life is short_

_But this time it was bigger_

_Than the strength he had_

_To get up off his knees"_

After Faith had passed, Bosco remained by her side. Clutching onto her hand tightly, his stare never wavered. She seemed so peaceful that he could barely believe she was gone. Everything about this day was so unbelievable that he silently wondered why he should start accepting the harsh reality now. Faith was everything to him. She was his partner, his friend, his family, everything. He didn't know how he was going to make it without her, and for that reason he was content to pretend that she was only sleeping for a little while longer. Despite his most valiant efforts, the tears continued to roll down his cheeks as he committed every detail of his partner's face to memory. This would be the last time he would see her and he didn't want to miss a thing.

Somewhere behind him he heard the door open slightly. Quickly wiping the tears away, he suddenly became very self conscious. Stealing a quick glance over his shoulder he was somewhat relieved to see the nurse and not one of his colleagues or worse yet, Fred. Bowing his head he half hoped this young girl would comfort him while he also wished that she would just leave him in his misery. Pressing a few buttons she silenced the high pitched squawking of the heart monitor. In an instant the room became eerily quiet as he realized that she was watching him. Sighing, the young nurse put her arm around Bosco's shoulders and whispered gently in his ear, "Take all the time you need, Officer. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know."

As she pulled away, Bosco forced himself to offer her a faint smile of gratitude. Nodding slightly the nurse, acknowledged the vacant look of sadness swirling across Bosco's features. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze she pulled a box of tissues out of her pocket before turning to leave.

Bosco waited until he heard the door click shut before allowing Faith's limp hand to slip from his grasp. Other than a faint feeling of sadness, Bosco couldn't feel much of anything. He wasn't angry or lonely, upset or afraid. Bosco no longer felt guilty or responsible as the cascade of raw emotion inside of him had abruptly subsided. All of the sadness and panic, disbelief and anger had given way to a state of emotional shock. Bosco was numb and he would stay that way for a long time.

Sliding off the side of the bed he was careful not to disturb anything. In the blink of an eye he was back at the academy, where it all began. She was the most amazing friend he had ever had then and now. Sighing, Bosco knew that friends like her came along once in a lifetime.

Pulling the sheet up around her neck, he ran a hand through her soft blonde hair. Bosco felt the involuntary urge to cry, though he knew he had nothing left to give. While a sob rose in his throat, no tears came to his eyes. Bending over, Bosco gently kissed his partner's forehead before turning to leave. When he got to the door, he paused for just a moment. The thought of turning back one last time crossed his mind, though he knew if he did this he would never again have the strength to leave her side. He had to walk away.

Taking a deep breath he stepped out into the hall. It was over now. Blinking a few times, Bosco's eyes burned against the harsh white light of the hallway. His throat was killing him and his entire body ached. Bosco knew that he looked like hell, and in all honesty he didn't really care. Running his hand through his hair, he peered down the hallway. The last thing he wanted to do right now was face another human being. Sighing, he slumped against the door. Bosco didn't think that there had ever been a time when he was so exhausted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw blue uniforms moving in and out of the lounge. Half the department was probably gathered down there…waiting. He shuddered at the thought of having to face them. The questioning stares. The God-awful sympathetic looks. Bosco suddenly felt as though he were suffocating. He had to get out of there.

Just was he was about to make a mad dash past the lounge and into the elevator, the young nurse he had met earlier came around the corner. Again, he was immensely relieved to see her. A slight smile crossed the young woman's face as she approached Bosco.

"Is there something I can do for you, Officer?"

Offering her a half smile, Bosco was ashamed of what he was about to ask. "Yeah..uhh," Looking around the hall nervously, he bowed his head slightly before continuing, "Is there…is there any other way out of here beside the main elevator?" Inwardly he cringed at his own request. .

Nodding, the nurse didn't seem to find his request all that unusual. As she led him to the opposite end of the hallway, he didn't notice anything but the dull ache that taking over his entire body. The door to the back stairs was tucked between the staff lounge and large room that Bosco guessed to be some sort of utility room. Near the handle of the door was a little black slot with the green and red light. Looking over her shoulder, the nurse slid her ID card into the slot and opened the door. Propping it open with her foot she pointed Bosco toward a narrow and somewhat dilapidated staircase. "It's for staff only, but I doubt that anyone will bother you."

Bosco nodded his thanks to her before sliding unnoticed into the stairwell. Turning back, he felt compelled to say something more. Before he could open his mouth, however, the young women nodded and replied, "Anytime." A look of understanding passed between them, before he continued down the stairs and away from the only family that he had ever known. Flight after flight, Bosco ran faster and faster as if someone or something was chasing him. When he reached the bottom, he hit the door with all his weight. Not expecting the door to open so easily, he stumbled outside before falling to his knees. The harsh asphalt tore into his palms as he landed in a crumpled heap. His entire body screamed out in pain as the cold, hard pain pelted his face…yet he barely felt a thing.

* * *

Sully looked around the waiting room anxiously. As word of Faith's accident spread throughout the department, more and more cops started showing up at the hospital. At first it was just other beat cops swinging by to see how she was, but then as time went on department brass began to take their place. Leaning forward, Sully rested his head in his hands. Allowing a deep sigh to escape his lips, he silently wondered where the day had gone so wrong.

"What the hell happened? I want to see my wife! Where is she?" Fred had arrived. Reluctantly, Sully opened his eyes. Outside of the elevators, Fred had cornered some nurse and was browbeating her with a barrage of questions. "Don't you know anything? Jesus Christ!" Without warning, Fred kicked the nearest object- a wheel chair- and sent it crashing loudly against the floor. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Sully quickly jumped to his feet and intervened before the situation got any worse.

"Fred, C'mon, come sit down." Sully placed both hands firmly on Fred's shoulders as he ushered him towards the waiting room.

"Dammit Sullivan! Take your hands off of me." Fred tried in vain to resist, though it got him no where against a seasoned veteran like Sully. "I want to know where Faith is!"

Pushing Fred into one of the chairs, Sully was able to get the attention of Lieutenant Swersky. Turning to Davis, Sully instructed, "Watch him, Ty. I'm going to find Bosco." As the lieutenant began to relay the day's events to Fred, Sully discretely slid out of the waiting room and toward the end of the hallway. Wherever Bosco was, he wanted to get to him before Fred did.

The tension in the waiting room was reaching an unimaginable climax and Sully, for one, was glad to be out of there. Just past the nurse's station, he was able to find a technician scribbling something on a patient's chart. Approaching the young woman, he was careful to keep his voice down. "Excuse me, do you know where Faith Yokas's room is?"

Immediately a look concern flashed across the girl's face.

"Oh…um…I'm not sure. Maybe you should speak with her nurse." Offering a slight smile, she tried to make her ignorance seem believable. Sighing loudly, Sully began to lose his patience.

"And who might her nurse be?" He stared at the young girl accusingly as his words were laced with sarcasm.

The technician glanced at her paper before pointing toward a short, pretty nurse leaning against the main desk.

"Thanks," Sully gritted his teeth as he turned away. Something was wrong, he could see it in her eyes. She was hiding something. "Excuse me, but can you tell me where Faith Yokas's room is?"

The young nurse looked at him sympathetically, before speaking in a hushed tone. "I'm sorry Officer but you can no longer enter that room." Sully was confused, what was going on here?

"What do you mean?" No one was giving him a straight goddamn answer and it was starting to piss him off.

"We've already begun preparing Officer Yokas for transport to the morgue." The news hit him like a ton of bricks. Faith was gone? He knew that things were serious but…wow…this was unbelievable. For a moment Sully could do nothing but stare at her, he was absolutely speechless. An unsettling feeling began to rise up in the pit of his stomach as memories of his own partner's death rushed forward. Slowly, the nurse turned back toward her work, though Sully was quick to grab her arm.

"Hey….um…have you seen Officer Yokas's partner around? He's a…" Sully was just about to conjure up a description of Bosco when she stopped him.

Raising her hand up to silence him, she nodded slowly, "Yes, there was another Officer in with her earlier but I don't know where he is now." In actuality she knew exactly where Bosco was as she had been the one who let him go down the back stairs. He never told her to lie, though intuition urged otherwise. She had seen that desperate, lonely look in his eyes and in a hundred other eyes. If he needed to be alone right now that was his decision. Everyone deals with grief differently and she respected that.

For some reason Sully felt that this woman might also be withholding information. How could everyone on this floor be so damn oblivious? Staring at her for a moment, he concluded that she as probably telling the truth and that there was nothing more he could do. Nodding his thanks, Sully started toward the waiting room before sliding back to the desk. "Hey, could you please overhead page Officer Boscorelli back to the floor?" At first she looked a bit hesitant, though she eventually agreed to do as he asked.

The waiting room hadn't thinned out much since he left as the familiar feeling of claustrophobia quickly returned. Davis had managed to keep Fred in check though the older man still looked as if he might blow his top any second. Lieu wasted no time hustling up next to Sully the moment he saw him walk through the door. "Please tell me you've found Boscorelli." A look of disgust crossed his superior's face as Sully inwardly cringed at the amount of departmental bullshit that Bosco would undoubtedly have to wade through on the road to redemption.

"No sign of him, Lieu." Sully offered the most apologetic look he could muster.

"What do you mean? Bosco's gone?" Fred had somehow worked his way in between Sully and the Lieutenant. Accusingly, he searched their faces for any sign of truth in what he had just overheard. Sully began counting backwards from ten in anticipation of the explosion that was sure to come. "Are you kidding me! Faith gets hurt on the job and that little shit just takes off!" The anger was building. "I want some goddamn answers and I want them now! DO YOU HEAR ME? NOW!"

"Listen Fred, we can't find him right now but that doesn't mean…" Fred cut Swersky short as he exploded in a fit of anger.

"FUCK YOU! YOU'RE ALL A BUNCH OF FUCKING LIARS!" The room grew dead silent as every pair of eyes was trained on Fred. Blinded by an uncontrollable rage, he turned and ran toward the stairwell forgetting all about his dead wife who lay just feet away.

* * *

Bosco didn't know how long he knelt there behind the hospital, but by the time he started to walk he was thoroughly soaked. The thought of going back to the house briefly crossed his mind and he quickly decided against it. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do and right now he wasn't exactly thinking clearly. The heavy thudding of his boots against the wet pavement caused Bosco to fall into a trance of sorts. He didn't want to think about today or tomorrow or any day after that so he silently resolved to think about nothing at all. His mind was absolutely blank as he walked north on Lexington Ave. toward E. 86th Street and his apartment.

Bosco's watched as his breath turned to vapor in the cold night air. It couldn't have been more then forty degrees out and he didn't think that he had ever been so cold before. Crossing the street a gale force gust of wind and rain nearly knocked him over into the sewer as he suddenly became aware of the fact that he was shivering violently. Slowing slightly, Bosco stopped to look at himself in the dirty store front window of a strip club. The neon sign flickering above his head illuminated his features in a sickly red glow that made him nauseous. His short hair was matted down and stuck to his forehead as he watched the raindrops slide from his face to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he tried in vain to stop them from chattering so loudly. God, he just wanted to die.

A siren pierced his thoughts as he suddenly worried that they may be looking for him. Turning away, he lowered his head and began to walk a little faster than he had been. Curious stares followed him everywhere and he could only hope that his authority on these streets would not be undermined. These animals out here were the sickest, most dangerous kind of predators. Once you show a flash of weakness, they get inside of you and don't let go until you break. Keeping his gaze averted, Bosco tried to hide the fact that he was a wounded animal.

The closer that Bosco got to his apartment, the faster he started to walk and the more reckless he became. Tears began to cloud his vision as details of the street blended into a streaky mess of color. Rounding the corner onto E. 86th Street, Bosco felt as though he suddenly hit a brick wall. Crashing to the sidewalk, he found himself lying next to a stranger. A sharp pain resonated in his head and he was sure that he saw stars for a moment. Quick to recover, Bosco jumped to his feet all the while making sure that his gun was still safely tucked in its holster.

"Watch where the hell you're going!" A young black man jumped up and immediately got into Bosco's face. "Stupid Pig!" Shoving the young officer he knocked him against a parked car. It took Bosco a minute to gather himself and by that time, the angry young man had already disappeared around the corner. Taking a few deep breaths, Bosco staggered toward home.

As usual, the front door to his apartment had been propped open by one of his delinquent fellow tenants. Normally, this would piss him off but today he barely noticed it. Running up the stairs, Bosco stopped suddenly when he realized that the hallway light had burnt out. Fear crept up his spine as his breath noticeably quickened. The yellow emergency lights illuminated the hallway in a dim glow. Standing there he heard the keys and various tools on his gun belt clatter against his shaking frame. Inching carefully toward apartment 3C, Bosco tried to calm himself…he as being ridiculous. No one was here

Reaching his door he once again became aware of the way his body was trembling out of control. Fumbling around with his keys, his uncoordinated fingers lost their grip as a clattering resounded in the hallway. Cautiously, he bent over. A shuffling behind him caused the hairs to raise up on his neck.

"I've been waiting a long time for this day." Whirling around, Bosco came face to face with an enraged Fred Yokas. Even in the meager lighting, Bosco could see that the veins in Fred's neck had swollen to epic proportions. His eyes were narrowed in a menacing stare as his nostrils flared with every breath. If Bosco could have described Fred anyway he would have compared him to a bull…a bull that was ready to charge. Without warning, Fred grabbed Bosco by the neck, pinning him in the door jam. His fingers tightened around the young officer's neck so much so that Fred's knuckles paled a ghostly shade of white. Practically lifting Bosco off the ground, Faith's husband was possessed with superhuman strength.

Bosco could feel Fred tighten his grip as it was impossible to get any air. Oddly, enough he didn't fight back. He didn't care. He deserved this, and he didn't even want to pretend otherwise.

Fred leaned dangerously close to Bosco's face as he whispered in a deadly tone. "This is all your fault. You killed her, Bosco." Out of all the horrible things that he could have said that was the absolute worst. Tears streaked down Bosco's cheeks as his eyes rolled back in his head. The lack of oxygen was causing him to slip out of consciousness. Seeing this Fred loosened his grip as Bosco's limp body slid down the door frame. He wanted to hurt him but he didn't want to kill him. He wasn't worth it.

Winding up, Fred hit Bosco in the face as hard as he could. A stream of blood immediately poured from the young officer's nose as he slumped over in pain. Standing back Fred took a moment to admire the damage he had caused. Bruised and bloody, Bosco lay on the cold wet floor barely conscious. Smiling a sinister smile, Fred turned and walked out leaving his wife's former partner and best friend drowning in misery.

* * *

The abandoned factory was quiet this time of night. Other than his own breathing, the only thing he heard was the faint sound of a barge moving down the East River. Looking up, he studied the architecture of the building. Five stories of rotting metal and plaster interlinked through a maze of narrow catwalks. Broke down textile machines, lay here and there years past any meaningful purpose. Walking around a bit he noticed some sort of barrels near the far wall. Scraps of flammable stickers remained on the side of barrels, though they were barely discernable any longer. He didn't know if they were full or not…and he didn't really care. This place was going to go up like the Fourth of July no matter what.

The outer borders of the factory were irregular as they jutting in and out. In some places the wall was collapsed and missing all together. Bending over, the man shifted the cigarette in his mouth so as to keep it from falling into the Toluene that he was spreading in a line flush against the wall. The smell of the chemical burned his nostrils as he took another long, satisfying drag. Hopefully, the building would be fully involved by the time the fire department arrived. Smirking, he surmised that either way it would be a good show.

Standing back, he admired his work for a moment. The fire would burn quickly and efficiently, climbing up the walls and across the ceilings. It would spread upward, floor after floor until it reached the roof and then it would eat until there wasn't anything left and building collapsed. Swallowing hard, he got a kick out of the tingle this sort of thing gave him. While it was somewhat unexpected, he nonetheless welcomed the feeling.

Rocking back and forth on his heels, he wondered if maybe he should be going. It was now or never. Taking one last glorious puff on his Marlboro, the man exhaled as he tossed the cigarette into the Toluene. A brief sizzling followed an immense puff as flame raced around the entire perimeter of the building. Feeling the heat of the flame on his face, the man reveled in the monster that he had just unleashed.

* * *

The streets below the 55 Firehouse were alive with activity tonight. For hours, countless blue uniforms were streaming in and out of the precinct as both RMPs and unmarked cars clogged Arthur Avenue. Sighing, Jimmy Doherty clouded up the rain streaked window in front of him. After returning to the house, he learned through the grapevine that Faith Yokas probably wasn't going to make it. Cringing, he knew that her chances were slim the moment the squad had rolled up to that horrible accident. There was barely anything left of the car let alone the person inside.

Sighing, he adjusted himself on the window ledge. It was well after midnight but he couldn't sleep. A certain restlessness had taken hold in him and didn't want to let go. He didn't know where it came from but guessed that it was probably because of the accident today. While he had seen thousands of accidents, some far more gruesome than the scene today, it was always a little different…a little more personal when someone you know is involved. Leaning back he looked around the dark firehouse. It was quiet this time of night as most of the men had decided to turn in early. Eyes drifting shut for just a moment, his entire body relaxed against the cold window pane.

A high pitched tone broke the silence as Jimmy abruptly snapped up into the standing position. "Engine…Ladder…Respond to call box 7549, 9700 York Ave." Before the dispatch finished, Jimmy was already sliding down the fire pole. Upstairs he could hear the thundering of footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. Climbing into the back of the Ladder truck, Jimmy went about tightening the straps on his jacket. Over his shoulder the rest of the guys were hurriedly donning their turnouts as each man rushed for his or her place on the truck. Looking up, he smiled as he saw Alex Taylor's sleepy form crawling into the seat next to him.

"Ought Oh…looks like someone's missing out on their beauty sleep." Smirking, Jimmy showed off his famous Doherty dimples.

Rolling her eyes, Alex was quick with a comeback. "Bite me, Doherty."

The wail of the siren drowned out the sexual quip festering on Jimmy's lips as he simply settled for a mischievous look of amusement. Leaning back against the seat, he took a look around the truck. As usual, Walsh was in the driver's seat next to Lieutenant Johnson who, in Jimmy's opinion, looked more haggard than usual. Dark circles hung low around his eyes as his lips seemed to be drawn into a dipping frown. Pursing his lips, Jimmy nodded to himself. He was probably thinking about the PD accident earlier that day. While none of them knew Faith well, she was still a member of the services. Like them, she too put her life on the line for complete strangers everyday, and in some ways her accident reminded them of their own mortality.

Just as the truck was about to pull out, Jimmy noticed someone rounding the corner into the firehouse. Pounding on the side of the truck, he yelled for them to wait.

"Walsh! Walsh! Hold up man!" Craning his neck to see who it was, Jimmy let out a snort of disdain when he saw Jack Devlin practically fling himself into someone else's turnouts. A month ago, Devlin transferred in from the 78 out in Brooklyn. A hotshot bigmouth, he had earned his fame fighting fires in the dangerous tenements of Red Hook. Departmental shifts had, however, displaced this unsung hero to the relatively peaceful streets of the 55. Since day one, Devlin had been a problem. Two hours into his first shift, the Lieutenant caught him hooked up with some girl in the alley behind the house. And as if his personal exploits weren't shameful enough, he was a huge liability on the job. Dashing off the truck and into anything that burns, the stupid asshole never fails to put everyone around him in jeopardy. Biting back a wave of bitterness, Jimmy settled back into his seat. Distaste was written all over his face as Alex had to look away so that he wouldn't see her laughing. True, Devlin was a liability yet she couldn't help but to wonder if jealousy was behind Doherty's unwavering bitterness. For the first time in a long time someone was out to steal his thunder.

Walsh started pulling out as Devlin ran for the door, jerking it open. Climbing in, the young firemen looked around with an air of smug satisfaction. Eyes landing on Alex, he winked at her, "Hey, babe." Pretending not to hear him, Alex closed her eyes in attempt to get focused on the task at hand. Seeing the disinterest on everyone's face, Devlin sighed in defeat. "Tough crowd."

"Devlin…Where the hell were you?" Turning around in the front, Lieu stared at him accusingly.

"What do you mean? I made it. I'm here." Shaking his head vigorously, Johnson raised his voice.

"NO. When the alarm goes off your ass is supposed to be getting in the truck not running around the corner. One more time Devlin, and I'm going to personally see to it that you are suspended." Giving the horn a tug, Johnson drowned out any response that the cocky, young fireman may have been conjuring up. Rolling his eyes nonchalantly, Devlin smirked at a scowling Jimmy.

Rounding the corner sharply, Walsh slowed the truck to a stop in front of the abandoned York Textile Factory. Black smoke seeped out of the building, though there was no sign of flame yet. Immediately springing into action, Jimmy made a break for the door though Devlin was quick to step in front of him. Anger flared up in Doherty as he shoved the younger man back into his seat. Laughing a little, Devlin winked at Jimmy as he crawled out of the truck.

Walking around the truck, Jimmy was quick to grab his gear. Pulling the Kevlar stocking over his head he was ready to put his mask on and charge into battle. Behind him Howe was already on the hydrant as DK and Walsh were quick with the line. Next to him Taylor was checking her air supply as Devlin was already geared up and itching to go. "DK, Walsh…I want the two of you on the line. Devlin, Doherty, Taylor do a full sweep of the building. There could be squatters trapped on the upper floors. Let's hit it hard, let's hit it fast. I don't like the look of that smoke."

Inside, the squad quickly oriented themselves in the thick, black smoke. Flames were all around them as DK wasted no time on the nozzle. Outside two other companies had arrived and were staging their own deployments into the building. Staying low to the ground, Devlin, Doherty, and Taylor felt their way to a narrow metal staircase. "DK…DK, cover us!" Jimmy's voice sounded scratchy and disjointed over the radio. Aiming the nozzle toward Devlin's light, DK cleared the way for his colleagues.

Unlike below, the second floor had not yet become fully. The smoke, however, was extremely thick and hot as the three firefighters began their sweep of the floor. "I don't like the look of this floor." Nodding, Taylor conceded that Devlin had a point. Because of the way the fire was rolling over the ceiling downstairs, the floor had become weakened in some areas. Pointing his light toward a bubbling dip, Devlin further illustrated his point to Jimmy and Alex.

"OK…OK…Stay to the side and watch your step. We stick together." Doherty advanced cautiously with Taylor close behind and Devlin bringing up the rear. "FIRE DEPARTMENT! Can anyone hear me? Is there anyone here?" Over the radio, Jimmy heard the other squads downstairs talking to DK and Walsh. Feeling a bit more confident, he reassured himself that they would knock this fire down one way or another. Completing their sweep of the first floor, they cautiously proceeded up the stairs. "First floor all clear, Lieu. We're headed up."

"Ok, Jimmy I want you to be careful, it looks like the fire is being fed by another source."

"10-4 that." Pushing ahead of Doherty, Devlin quickly scrambled up that stairs.

"What the hell is your problem?" Jimmy was quick to chase the younger man, getting in his face almost immediately. "This is my rescue squad. You do as I say not the other way around. Now get your head in the game." Turning away, Jimmy followed Alex as she began to sweep the floor side to side.

"Fire Department…can anyone hear me? Is there anyone up here?" The smoke was a bit thinner than downstairs, though, decent visibility was still non-existent. Hesitating near the stairs, Devlin ripped off his mask. He heard something. Choking on the thick smoke he was barely able to discern a faint voice from above.

"Help me! Please…" There it was again. Devlin was sure of himself. Not bothering to put his mask back on, he charged upward.

"Doherty…Taylor. Someone's trapped up here. I'm going after them." By the time Jimmy realized what had just happened, Devlin had already disappeared alone into the thick smoke.

"Jesus Christ! He's going to get us all killed!" Taylor's concerns were a perfect reflection of the thoughts running through Jimmy's head…add a few expletives, of course.

"That son of a bitch." Running toward the stairs, Jimmy screamed Devlin's name several time with no response.

"Lieu! LIEU! We got a situation up here." Johnson's concerned voice was quick to respond to Taylor's radio calls.

"Roger that Taylor, go ahead."

Beating on the metal railing with his ax, Jimmy yelled out for his colleague. Squeezing her eyes, shut Taylor struggled to hear the radio transmission. Aside from Doherty's incessant screaming, the roar of the fire had reached almost deafening levels. "Say again, Lieu."

Downstairs Walsh, DK and several other firefighters had gone toe to toe with the beast and were barely keeping their edge. This battle, however, would soon take a turn for the worse. In the far corner, barrels of Kerosene lay almost ready to explode. Weakened by the raging heat, they had warped to their limit. On the nozzle, DK was intrigued by the sight of these barrels. He had not noticed them before, though he could not take his eyes off of them now. Inching a bit closer, he was barely able to discern a blackened flammable sticker on the side. Oh God. Yelling to the other firemen his voice was laced with panic. "Back out! Back out!" If it had been someone else, the men may have questioned the order but DK was one of the most respected firemen in the city and when he gave an order they knew he meant business. Upon seeing his men come out of the building, Lieutenant Johnson hustled up to them.

"What are you doing? DK? Walsh?"

Ripping off his mask, DK tried to get his breath. "There's…There's barrels…" Before he could finish a deafening explosion rocked them to the ground.

**TBC…….**

**Above Lyrics are from Brad Paisley's "Whiskey Lullaby"**


End file.
